LANDI KOTAL, Dec 10: Candidates contesting for two National Assembly seats in the Khyber Agency have started their campaign in Landi Kotal, Jamrud and Bara tehsils. As many as 60 candidates had filed their nomination papers for the two seats. But the real contenders for the constituencies of NA-45 and NA-46 are fewer.

The NA-45 comprises Landi Kotal and Jamrud tehsils. It has 101,272 voters-- 73,890 male and 27,378 female.

The entire Bara tehsil makes up for the NA-46 constituency with 94,208 voters-- 84,123 male and 10,081 female.

Election Commission officials said that 20,500 more voters had been registered for the Jan 8 elections in comparison to the Oct 2002 elections.A sharp decline was witnessed in the registration of female voters as majority of the tribesmen are reluctant to register their female as voters owing to tribal custom.

Strict instructions by a militant group Lashkar-i-Islam in Bara also kept a majority of women away from registering their names in the new list.

Taking the lead in the campaign are former MNA from NA-45 Allama Noor ul Haq Qadri and his close rival in the 2002 elections Ajab Khan Zakhakhel.

The Allama was able to garner support of Khugakhel sub-tribe of the Shinwaris who were hitherto considered supporters of his rival candidate. Allama Noor is contesting elections as an independent candidate.

He had defeated Ajab Khan Zakhakhel in the Oct 2002 election with a margin of more than 3,000 votes.

Despite a ban on political activities in tribal areas, Ajab Khan Zakhakhel is being supported by the Awami National Party. He won the party ticket after the rejection of nomination papers of his elder brother Darya Khan for being an undergraduate. Earlier, the ANP had allotted its ticket to Darya Khan.

Ajab Khan is largely banking on his Zakhakhel sub-tribe which is considered as the largest Afridi tribe in the Khyber Agency.

His close rival candidate from the Zakhakhel tribe is Zahid Khan, the young nephew of former MNA Haji Ayub Afridi.

Former MNA Noor ul Haq Qadri who belongs to a family from Landi Kotal also has a considerable number of followers in the Zakhakhel tribe.

Candidates having the backing of religious parties like the Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazal) are also making their presence felt by holding corner meetings in Landi Kotal and Jamrud.

The two component political parties of the MMA failed to field joint candidates for both the constituencies.

The JUI (F) candidates are contesting elections under the banner of MMA while the JI candidates are contesting as independent. The public response to electioneering in NA-45 has so far been poor.

The situation in the NA-46 constituency of Bara is different as Lashkar-i-Islam has imposed a strict ban on holding public meetings and taking out processions.