FAISALABAD, Nov 20: Electioneering has picked pace as two groups - Founder and National - of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) have fielded their candidates for eight seats of the executive committee.

Twenty-six members filed their nomination papers on last date on Monday for four seats of industry and as many of trade classes.

Elections for industry class slots will be held on Dec 6 and trade class on Dec 7. Nearly 1,900 people will exercise their right to vote.

Candidates fielded by Founder group for industry class are: Mirza Mohammad Shafiq, Abdul Rab, Abdul Majeed, Habib Ahmed, Hafiz Rashid and Malik Ishfaq, Candidates backed by National group vying for the same slots included Asim Khursheed, Salamat Ali, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Aamir and Maqsood Elahi.

Those contesting for trade class seats and supported by National group are: Mohammad Ali, Nadeem, Amanat Sahi, Mohammad Tufail and Sajid Ali. The candidates fielded by Founder group are: Asghar Kamal Butt, Raza Ali, Mohammad Islam, Ghulam Mustafa, Mohammad Tariq and Mohammad Amin.

The new executive committee will elect the president, senior vice-president and vice-president on Dec 9 while the annual general meeting of the chamber will also be held the same day.

Khalid Habeeb of National group has been appointed returning officer.

The FCCI elections are going to be held after five years. Last time Arif Touseef, brother of district nazim Rana Zahid Touseef, and his fellows had filed nominations under the banner of United group. However, they boycotted the elections citing alleged rigging and refused to accept results.

Afterward, insiders said all members of the executive committee were selected instead of any election.

Sitara group of industries, Arshad Corporation and many other big industrialists are supporting the National group candidates and FCCI presidents have been selected from this group for the last many years while Founders were restricted to lower seats.

Asghar Kamal, leader of the Founder group, told Dawn that they were contesting polls in protest against the `autocratic’ behaviour of National group leaders who did nothing for textile sector.

He said Faisalabad known as textile capital of the country, required an energetic and true leadership to remove `miseries’ of businessmen attached with this sector. He alleged that the current textile crisis was the result of chamber’s negligence which failed to guide the government effectively.