HARIPUR, July 30: Although the local government polls are being held on a non-party basis, district leaders of mainstream political parties, particularly those in the ARD and the MMA, are actively in the field working for their candidates who are contesting in ‘independent capacity’.

Among the ARD parties, the PML-N appears ahead of others and has fielded panels for the posts of nazims, naib nazims and councillors in all the 45 union councils of Haripur. The Jamaat-i-Islami comes next with quite a large number of candidates.

The PPP Parliamentarians and the ruling PML have fielded a small number of candidates and a lack of interest in the polls is visible in their leadership.

The PML-N’s local leadership is supporting those candidates for nazim’s posts who are either members of the party or are close to its provincial chief Pir Sabir Shah. However, there are some candidates who were, till recently, office-bearers of the party.

The PML-N claims to have fielded complete panels in the union councils of Barela, Khanpur, Hattar, Bagra, Najaf Pur, Rehana and Pind Kamal Khan. In Sikandar Pur, Central Haripur, North Haripur, Kotnajibullah, Sirikot and Sera-i-Saleh its candidates have entered into seat-adjustment accords with independent groups or other parties.

In Sikandar Pur, district secretary of PML-N Agha Shabir is contesting for the post of nazim against JI’s Abdul Razzaq. Yunus Dosh, who is the Tehsil secretary of PML-N, is in the run for the seat of naib nazim with JI’s Iqbal Chohan in North Haripur. Sheikh Abid, PML-N’s city president, is contesting for naib nazim’s post in Central Haripur against Qazi Mohammad Raza who enjoys JI’s support.

In Kotnajibullah, Sera-i-Saleh, and eight councils of Ghazi Tehsil, PML-N backed candidates have entered into alliances with some influential independent groups.

The party has fielded about 80 men and 40 women for councillors’ seats in Haripur Tehsil while in eight councils of Tehsil Ghazi, 25 women and 40 men are in the run with declared support of the Pir Sabir Shah group.

“We are in position to sweep the election in all the 45 union councils”, claimed Yusuf Ayub Khan. Yusuf claimed that about 25 women councillors belonging to his camp had been elected unopposed.

The JI has fielded it candidates in the name of Al Khidmat group in almost all the councils of the district. However, no panel consists entirely of candidates backed by the JI. Rather, its nominees have worked out arrangements with other parties or groups. Candidates backed by the Jamaat have reached such agreements in Kotnajibullah, Rehana, Ali Khan, Haripur City North, Ladarmang, Sikandar Pur, Kotehra, Kundi, Ghazi and Panian.

Over 60 men and 50 women candidates are claiming to be supported by the JI and according to the party leadership, eight of its women candidates have been elected unopposed.

Meanwhile, tension between the JI and the JUI-F is continuing at the district level and the leadership of the two parties of the MMA failed to field consensus candidates. One such area is Rehana where JI’s panel of Safdar and Naeem Khan Tareen is facing the panel of Masood Khan and Ehjaz Shah of JUI-F, Jamaat’s local leadership also claims that their candidates are in good position to turn the table on their rivals because it has more than 30,000 votes. The JUI-F has formed an alliance in Mankraye where Maulana Matiur Rehman Qasmi is contesting for nazim’s seat with Syed Najaf Ali Shah as naib nazim.

Despite being the largest opposition party in the National Assembly, after the MMA, the PPP Parliamentarians has failed to field candidates in many places. There is only one place where Zulfiqar Qureshi, former city president of the PPP, is contesting for nazim’s slot. It is UC Central. However, according to Javed Khan Tanoli, the district secretary of the PPP, there are over 100 candidates who have the backing of their party in the district. He said that his party nominees were contesting from the platform of Awam Dost panel.

The PPP Sherpao has only one candidate, Pervez Akhtar Rana in the run for the nazim’s seat in UC South.

The ruling PML does not seem to be taking much interest in the poll. However, in certain union councils, like Shah Maqsood, Tarbela, Khalabat, Kholian, Rehana and Kotehra, ex-nazims and opponents of former district nazim Raja Amer are reported to be backed by Omer Ayub Khan and his group.