QUETTA, Jan 29: The rejection of the nomination papers of 19 aspirants has left the field for 31 contestants to vie for the 22 Senate seats for Balochistan.

In all 50 candidates had submitted nomination papers for the 22 seats — 14 general, four for women and four for technocrats — from the province.

The returning officer, after a three-day scrutiny announced the decision on Wednesday.

For the 14 general seats, 26 candidates had filed papers out of which seven were rejected leaving 19 aspirants for the run.

The nomination papers of Maulana Mohammed Hassan, Syed Abdul Rehman and Dr Azizur Rehman of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), Nawabzada Mohammed Akbar Khan Magsi and Mir Wali Mohammed Badini of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam), and two independent candidates — Barkat Ali and Sher Ali Mazari — were rejected.

For the four reserved seats for women in the province ten aspirants had filed their nomination papers. But after the scrutiny five were allowed to contest the election, whereas the papers of Zahida of MMA, Rehana Baloch and Shazia Shahjehan of PML-Q, Yasmin Baloch of BNP and Zubaida Sultan of BNM were rejected.

A total of 14 candidates had filed nomination papers for four reserved seats for technocrats for Balochistan province. The nomination papers of seven aspirants were cleared by the returning officer, whereas those of Javed Ahmed of PPP, Maulvi Agha Mohammed of MMA, Mohammed Anwar Durrani of JWP, Kalsoom Perven of PML-Q and three independent candidates — Agha Faisal, Dr Sardar Mohammed Hussain and Mohammed Ashraf Tanoli — were rejected after scrutiny.