CHITRAL, July 31: One hundred and eighty-six candidates have filed nomination papers for the seats of nazim and naib nazim of 24 union councils in the district for the forthcoming local government elections.

No woman candidate has filed papers for nazim or naib-nazim. However, 109 women filed nomination papers for the seats of general councillors and 91 for women peasant councillors.

At total of 407 candidates filed nomination papers for the seats of general councillor and 240 for peasant councillors while the number of contestants on minority seats was as low as 6.

In the last elections one nazim was elected unopposed from Breshgram, Lotkoh but this time no union nazim was elected unopposed. The number of female candidates is much more than that in the 2001-elections.

In the union council Ayun, falling within the Kalash valley, the number of minority councillors has been doubled by reducing Muslim seats. For the office of union nazim, different political parties have nominated candidates under different names.

PML-Q and JUI-F had forged an alliance when their talks with Jamaat-i-Islami failed last week.