Mardan   -  A total of 2,787 candidates including 11 candidates for the slot of mayor of Mardan and 29 candidates for chairmanship of other four tehsil of Mardan district are in run for the local bodies elections. The election commission has set up 1,051 polling stations, sources said.  

According to the sources, 11 candidates will contest election for the slot of mayor of Mardan tehsil while seven candidates for tehsil Takhatbhai chairmanship, nine candidates for tehsil Katlang chairmanship, six candidates for Rustam, seven candidates for Garhi Kapoor tehsil. They added that Mardan district is comprised of 231 village and neighbourhood councils.  

At least 2,747 candidates will contest election on general, women, workers, youth and minority seats. The sources said that at least 1,571 candidates will contest election on general seats, 240 females are contesting election on women seat, 514 candidates on workers seat, 402 candidates on youth seats and 20 candidates are contesting election on minority seats.  

The election commission, sources added, has established 1051 polling stations including 338 male polling stations, 309 female polling stations and 404 combined polling stations for the upcoming local bodies election. 105 women candidates and 17 minority candidates are elected unopposed. The sources said that total registered voters in Mardan district are 14 lakh 35 thousand and 909 including 8 lakh 5 thousand and 735 male voters and 6 lakh 30 thousand and 171 female voters. 

Meanwhile, talking to The Nation Awami National Party (ANP) district general secretary Haroon said that ANP will sweep the upcoming local bodies elections across the district. He said the public is fed up with the anti-people policies of the government and they will reject the ruling party in the local bodyies elections on December 19. He claimed that ANP has emerged as the only and true representative of the people and that is why its candidates in all tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils will sweep the polls.