PESHAWAR, Nov 28: A tough contest is expected in the election on Thursday for four vacant executive committee seats of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) between two rival groups.

The candidates and leaders of both the groups - Businessman Panel and Progressive Businessman Forum - ended their electoral campaign on Wednesday night amid claims of securing all the four seats. Polling for the vacant seats will be held from 9:00 to 3:00 pm, and 363 SCCI members would cast their votes.

According to the SCCI election and scrutiny committee a total of eight candidates, four each from the two groups, are in the run.

They are: Nauman Wazir, Khalid Sultan Khawaja, Dr Saeed Ahmad and Malik Niaz Muhammad from the Businessman Panel and Malik Iftikhar Ahmad Awan, Maqsood Anwar Pervaz, Muhammad Ishaq and Ahsan Rasheed Gorwara from the Progressive Businessman Forum.

The SCCI did not have elections for the last three years as the Businessman Panel, headed by former FPCCI vice-president Faiz Rasul Khan had been boycotting the process.

After elections the 21-member executive committee will elect a president, a senior vice-president and a vice-president on Dec 10.

The new elected body will assume charge of its office in the general body meeting on December 31.