SWABI, Aug 1: After scrutiny and withdrawal of nomination papers, 1498 candidates, including 201 females, have been left in the field to contest the local bodies elections in district Swabi. There are a total of 55 union councils in the district of which voters of one UC have returned their nazim unopposed. Now polls would be held in its remaining 54 UCs.

Sources in the district election commission office said that are 220 seats of male general councillors, 110 of male Kisan/ labour councillors, 110 female general councillors, 110 peasant labours and 55 seats of minorities.

Total 160 candidates would contest for 54 seats of union council nazims, 750 for Muslim males general councillor seats, 385 for males peasants/ labour seats, 77 peasants/ workers women general councillors seats, 124 Muslim women and two minority seats. The sources said 47 seats of minority would remain vacant as no one had filed nomination papers in respect of these seats.

No one filed nomination papers against Shamsher Khan in Jalbai Union Council. Mr Khan is brother of assassinated former district nazim Sher Zaman Sher.

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION: A total of 201 women are contesting elections while some women have been returned unopposed. During the previous local body elections about 66 female candidates were elected while rest of the seats had remained vacant.

In some cases areas elders and candidates had reached agreements that women would not be allowed to either file their nomination papers or exercise rights of vote. However, in the forthcoming election women only three UCs –Shewa, Bamkhel and Adina- would not participate in elections. From these union councils only one female candidate has filed nomination papers and the remaining seats would remain vacant.