SWABI: Scores of aspirants have applied for Awami National Party tickets for the two National Assembly and six provincial assembly seats in the Swabi district.

“Only eight candidates will get the tickets for the eight constituencies, while the rest might feel left out and might lead to internal rivalry in the party and shifting of loyalties,” an ANP leader told Dawn on Friday.

However, he said if the delimitation exercise was carried out before the general elections by the Election Commission of Pakistan, there was a chance of increasing one National Assembly and two provincial assembly constituencies in the district, which would help the political parties to accommodate more candidates.

District nazim Ameer Rehman, who is also an ANP leader, said: “We hope that delimitation of the constituencies will be carried out before the elections. “This is one of our demands from the ECP.”

According to the 1998 census the district’s population was 1,026,804, and according to 2017 census, the population has increased to 1,624,616.

Meanwhile, the ANP has received a total of Rs8.7 million from the aspirants who have applied for the party tickets.

Sources said candidates for ticket on NA seat had deposited Rs200,000 each with the application, while those aspiring for provincial assembly seat had deposited Rs100,000 each.

The sources said prominent among those applied for NA-12, Swabi-I, included district nazim Ameer Rehman, Waris Khan, Mohammad Ishfaq, Tamraz Khan, Awaal Sher Khan, Hayatullah Khomani, Ibn-i-Aman Khan, Arshad Hussain and former provincial minister Zar Shaid Khan.

Shah Nawaz Khan, retired Col Hidayatullah, Qazi Izhar, Nasar Jadoon, Zulfiqar Khan, Imran Khan and Faisal have applied for NA-13, Swabi-II, ticket, said the sources.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2017