ATTOCK, April 8: Majority of the 152 candidates cleared for the elections on the eight seats in the district of Attock had also taken part in the 2008 elections.

Out of the 152 candidates, the nominations of 49 were accepted for the three national and 103 for the five provincial assembly seats.

NA-57 ATTOCK-I: Total 20 nominations were accepted in this constituency where a tough contest is expected among three main political heavyweights - ex-state minister Malik Amin Alsam of the PTI, former MNA Sheikh Aftab Ahmed of the PML-N and ex-district nazim Tahir Sadik Khan of his own Major Group.

Mr Aftab won the seat in 2008 by scoring 38,610 votes against 38,311 votes of Mr Amin Aslam (then independent)). Mr Aslam was the winner in the 2002 elections.

Mr Sadik, who is a brother-in-law of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, is first time contesting the seat.

NA-58 ATTOCK-II: Total 13 nominations were accepted and the main contestants are ex-naib district nazim Malik Suhail Khan of the PTI, ex-MPA Malik Itabar Khan of the PML-N and the former district nazim Mr Sadik.

Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi won the seat in 2008 by 70613 votes against 59,708 of PML-N’s Mr Suhail.

Now Mr Suhail is a strong PTI aspirant as he left the PML-N last year due to some rifts with the district party leadership.

The second strong aspirant is ex-MPA Malik Itabar Khan, who is also contesting the seat for the first time.

He won the provincial assembly seat of PP-19 Attock-V in the 2008 elections on the ticket of the PML-Q and later joined the PML-N.

It is the native constituency of Mr Itabar as his late father Malik Allahyar Khan won this seat in 2002 and was appointed as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly.

Mr Allahyar could not take part in the last elections due to illness and offered the seat to Mr Pervaiz Elahi.

NA-59 ATTOCK-III: Total 16 nominations were accepted for this seat where the main fight will be among the PPP, PTI, PML-N and the Major Group candidates.

Ex-state minister Sardar Saleem Hydar of the PPP, who won the seat by obtaining 71,395 votes against PML-Q’s Chaudhry Waseem Gulzar (58,800 votes) in the last general election, will now defend his seat.

Asif Ali Malik advocate is also PML-N’s aspirant in this election, who is a brother-in-law of PML-N central leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

But he is not being considered as a strong candidate. In 2008 elections, he could get only 23,634 votes.

There are two PTI aspirants in NA-59, Sardar Sikendar Hayat and ex-MPA Sardar Mohammad Ali. Mohammad Zain Elahi, son of Mr Sadik, is a newcomer.

Earlier, his brother-in-law Waseem Gulzar of PML-Q contested the seat in 2008 but lost to Mr Hydar of the PPP.

PP-15 ATTOCK-I:  There are 34 aspirants in this constituency but the main rivals are PPP, PTI , PML-N and the Major Group. In the last elections, PPP’s Shahan Malik won the seat with 30,861 votes against Syed Ejaz Bukhari (PML-Q) who bagged 24,653 votes and Sheikh Sulaman Sarwar of the PML-N (20,495 votes).

PP-16 ATTOCK-II: There are 17 candidates in this constituency out of whom the main contest will be among the PTI, PML-N, PPP and the Major Group.

Shujah Khanzada won this seat in the last elections as an independent with 25,313 votes.

He later joined the PML-N and is now again in the fray.

PP-17 ATTOCK-III: Among the 19 candidates cleared in this constituency, Riaz Balahra of PPP, Akbar Khan Tanoli of the PTI and Malik Jamshid Altaf of Major Group are the first-time contestants.

In the 2008 elections, Chaudhry Sher Ali Khan of the PML-Q won the seat after a close contest with Haji Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan of PPP.

PP-18 ATTOCK-IV: As many as 15 nominations were accepted in this constituency.

Malik Khurram Ali Khan of the PPP won this seat by defeating PML-Q’s ex-provincial minister Malik Mohammad Anwar in 2008. The PML-N has fielded Chaudhry Sher Ali Khan on this seat while Malik Amanat is contesting from Major Group.

PP-19 ATTOCK-V: The nominations of 18 aspirants were accepted here.

Malik Aitabar of the PML-Q won the seat in 2008 with 40,943 votes and later joined the PML-N.