KARACHI, July 19: The returning officers for the local government elections, scheduled for Aug 18, received nomination forms till midnight on Tuesday following directives to them from the chief election commissioner to this effect. The directive has been issued to help candidates submit their papers without any hassle and check the complaints regarding obstacles in submitting the forms. This facility would also be available to candidates on Wednesday, which is the last date for submission of the forms.

The chief election commissioner is also arriving here from Islamabad. He would preside over a meeting of returning officers from all over Sindh province on July 21. This meeting will be held at the Sindh Assembly Building where, according to close sources of the EC, certain important decisions would be taken to ensure transparent, free and fair polls and removing complaints and apprehensions about it.

On Tuesday, except ROs offices in defunct districts south and east where a sizable number of candidates turned up after 3pm, only a few aspirants visited the ROs offices in other areas. Most of the aspirants who came to submit their nomination papers were either independent or backed by certain smaller parties on the strength of social work in their respective areas.

According to the EC sources, many of the aspiring candidates submitted more than one form to avoid technical knock out.

As per an estimate over 7,000 nominations were filed while around 500 new forms were issued to aspiring candidates on Tuesday. In defunct district south alone, over 800 forms were received by 10pm, insiders told Dawn. Sources said that the ROs offices remained opened till midnight.

In ROs offices, the number of the nomination forms received from candidates could not be ascertained as they expressed their inability to give any figure before midnight which was the closing time for tonight.

An abnormal rush is expected on Wednesday when most of the groups backed up by political parties having roots in the masses would come to submit nomination forms of their groups along with candidates and their proposers and seconders.

Meanwhile, like ruling coalition partners who have reached an understanding with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on seat adjustments, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has almost finalized seat adjustments not only within the alliance but also with other parties outside the alliance like Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Sunni Tehreek and other smaller parties on the basis of their previous record in different constituencies.

As the local body elections are being held on non-party basis, efforts are being made to contest elections under a banner of some independent group, which is most likely to be Shehri Ittehad.