PESHAWAR, Sept 23: A total of 95 candidates are in the run for the posts of district nazim in 24 districts of the NWFP. The provincial election commission has issued the final list of contesting candidates backed by various political and independent groups and allotted election symbols to them.

Though officially there are three candidates in the field for the slot of the Peshawar city district Nazim, it will be a one-to-one contest because the JUI-backed Muttahida panel is expected to withdraw nomination papers of one of its two candidates.

Haroon Bashir Bilour, a joint nominee of the Watan Dost panel backed by the Awami National Party and Al Khidmat panel of JI, will face Haji Ghulam Ali of the Muttahida panel.

The Awam Dost panel backed by the People’s Party Parliamentarians, the Taraqqi Pasand panel of the PPP-Sherpao and Watan Nawaz panel of the PML-N have struck a deal with the Muttahida panel of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam.

The Muttahida panel has fielded Abdul Jalil Jan, provincial secretary information of the JUI, as a covering candidate for Haji Ghulam Ali.

In Nowshera, four candidates are contesting for the office of the district Nazim. Al-Khidmat panel has fielded Asif Luqman Qazi, son of JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad. Mohammad Dawood Khan Khattak of the Awam Dost panel, Mian Rashid Ali Shah of the Watan Dost panel and Zahidur Rehman of the Taraqqi Pasand panel are other candidates in the run.

In Mardan, five candidates are in the contest for the office of the district Nazim. In Swabi district, two candidates are in the run and in Kohat district the number of candidates for the slot of nazim is three.

In southern Karak, 13 candidates are vying for the district nazim’s slot. Three candidates each are in the run in Hangu, Malakand, Bannu and Haripur districts, five candidates in Mansehra, four candidates each in Charsadda, Battagram, Abbottabad, Kohistan, Shangla, Chitral and Swat districts, six candidates each in the districts of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank, and two candidates each in the districts of Lakki Marwat, Buner, Upper Dir and Lower Dir.