PESHAWAR, Aug 1: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday declared that 831 candidates, many of them for nazims, had returned unopposed in 12 districts of the NWFP where polling in the first phase of the local body elections would be held on Aug 18.

In a statement, the commission said that four candidates for Muslim (general) seats, 271 for Muslim (women), four for peasants/workers, 433 for peasants/workers (women) and 111 for minority communities had returned unopposed councillors. There were eight candidates who returned unopposed for the seats of nazim and naib nazim.

In the Peshawar district, 47 candidates returned unopposed as Muslim (women) councillors, 68 on the seats of peasants/workers (female), and 26 on the seats of minority councillors in all 92 union councils.

In the Nowshera district, 17 Muslim (women), 33 peasants/workers and 12 minorities returned unopposed in 48 union councils.

In the Charsadda district, 31 Muslim (women), two peasants/workers, 42 peasants/workers (women), seven minority councillors and one nazim were elected unopposed.

The commission said that in the Mardan district 34 Muslim (women), 71 peasants/workers (women) and 11 minority candidates had returned unopposed.

In the Swabi district, out of the 113 returned unopposed the number of Muslim (women) is 45, peasants/workers women) is 61, minority six and one nazim.

Four candidates for the seats of Muslim (general), 27 for Muslim (Women), two for peasants/workers, 33 for peasants/workers (women), seven minorities and two for the seats of nazims and naib nazims were declared elected in the Kohat district.

In the Karak district, one Muslim (woman) returned unopposed, while seven peasants/workers (women) and one minority candidate were declared elected.

Thirty-six candidates were declared unopposed on the seats of Muslim (women) in the Bannu district, 44 on the seats of peasants/workers (women), three on the seats of minorities and two on the seats of nazim and naib nazim returned unopposed.

Dera Ismail Khan has 47 union councils, but no woman has been elected unopposed there. The EC statement shows that a total of 13 minority candidates and one nazim were declared elected there.

In the Tank district, four women candidates for the seat of general and one for the seat of minority returned unopposed.

In the Haripur district, 21 woman candidates for general seats, 43 female candidates for peasants/workers seats and nine for the minorities seats were declared elected unopposed.

In the Bunair district, eight candidates for the seats of Muslim (women), 31 candidates for peasants/workers (women) seats, 15 candidates for the seats of minorities and one for the seat of nazim returned unopposed.

The Election Commission will set up 15,242 polling booths in 12 districts where 35,148 ballot boxes would be placed. It would depute 4,664 presiding officers, 45,726 assistant presiding officers and 15,242 polling officers to conduct the polls.