QUETTA, July 21: Two hundred and seventy candidates, including 21 nazims and naib nazims, have been elected unopposed in Balochistan where local body elections 2005 are being held in 14 districts in the first phase. According to the provincial election commission, 10,278 candidates have filed nomination papers for 3,445 seats of union councils, including 550 seats of nazims and naib nazims.

Nine hundred and forty six candidates have filed the papers for 550 seats of nazims and naib nazims in 275 union councils of the14 districts.

As many as 4,046 candidates have filed the papers for general seats, 1,552 for women’s general seats, 2214 for peasants/workers seats, 1239 for female peasants/workers seats and 281 for minority communities’ seats in 275 union councils.

Jaffarbad is leading the 14 districts with 1,616 candidates having filed the papers for 598 seats of 46 union councils. It is followed by Khuzdar where 1,409 candidates have filed nominations for 455 seats of 35 union councils

Awaran district has the lowest number of intending candidates, where 240 have filed papers for 104 seats of eight union councils.

The candidates elected unopposed include 22 in Khuzdar, four each in Mastung and Pishin, 14 in Awaran, one in Nushki, 94 in Bolan, 28 in Nasirabad, 89 in Jaffarabad, 11 in Qila Saifullah and three in Gwadar.

The nazims and naib nazims elected unopposed (because nobody has filed the papers against them) include two from Awaran, eight from Bolan, one from Nasirabad and 10 from Jaffarabad.

Thirty two candidates have been elected unopposed on general seats 32, 49 on women’s seats, 26 on peasants/workers seats, 66 on female peasants/workers seats and 76 on minority communities’ seats.