KARACHI, March 27: The Awami National Party has announced its candidates for the May 11 general elections for 15 National Assembly and 34 provincial assembly seats across Sindh.

In Karachi, the party will contest elections on 14 NA and 24 PA seats.

There are 20 NA and 42 PA seats in Karachi.

The ANP had for the first time won two PA seats in the 2008 general elections. Though the party retained Amanullah Mehsood from PS-128, it did not award a ticket to its then minister in the Sindh cabinet Amir Nawab, who had emerged victorious from PS-93 in 2008.

The constituencies from where the ANP candidates would contest elections are: NA-200 (Ghotki-1) and 14 Karachi seats NA- 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 250, 252, 255, 257 and 258.

The provincial assembly constituencies are: PS- 7, 9, 11, 16, 17, 47, 48, 49, 53, 78, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96, 98, 101, 102, 103, 104, 107, 112, 113, 114, 117, 119, 120, 125, 126, 128, 129 and 130.

The names of candidates were announced by Sindh ANP chief Senator Shahi Syed at a press conference at his residence on Wednesday.

He said the ANP decided to take part in the election across Sindh despite the fact that dozens of party offices had forcibly been shut down, bomb attacks were being carried out on the property of ANP leaders and attempts on lives of party men were a routine matter.

He said the ANP, whose various workers and office-bearers had been targeted by the Taliban in Karachi, would prefer to run a door-to-door election campaign and hold a limited number of corner meetings in view of the city’s volatile law and order situation.

Senator Syed advised his party candidates not to hold big public meetings, and start their mass contact drive by going from house to house in their respective constituencies.

In response to a question, he said the ANP was ready to have seat adjustments with any political and religious party, but there was no chance of agreement with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

He said he had serious reservations over the role of the MQM in the May 12, 2007 violence and, therefore, no seat adjustment with it would happen.

He said the party had decided to field Bashir Jan, the ANP provincial secretary-general, from PS-93 in recognition of his services and sacrifices for the party. However, he did not give any reason for not fielding Mr Nawab.