BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): Some election campaigners on Wednesday said they had abandoned presidential candidates Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Qutbuddin Hilal and joined another runner Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in central Bamyan province.
Hazrat Mohammad, who identified himself as head of Hilal’s campaign office in Bamyan, told reporters that he along with other campaigners had joined Ahmadzai’s campaign team.
He said they took the decision to switch sides after listening to Ahmadzai explaining his programmes for the country’s development.
“We have heard Hilal is planning to quit the race in favor of another presidential runner. Therefore we decided to join Ghani and campaign for him,” he said, adding he had directed all his offices in six districts to display Ahmadzai’s photos on billboards.
But Hilal’s spokesman, Fazal Minallah Mumtaz, denied the claim and said their campaign leader in Bamyan was Abdul Ahad Ahmadi.
Meanwhile, Sher Ali, who identifies himself as campaign leader for Abdullah Abdullah in Bamyan, also said they had joined Ahmadzai.
Ali said Ghani was a non-controversial personality and that was why they joined him.
But Abdullah’s campaign member in Kabul Syed Agha Hussain Sancharaki refused to recognise Ali as a campaigner for their team in Bamyan.
Ahmadzai’s campaign member in Bamyan, Haji Fida, welcomed the two campaign offices joining their side, saying it would strengthen their vote bank in Bamyan.
mds/ma