ISLAMABAD: After successfully concluding Senate elections today, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has pulled up its socks to organise by-polls on 23 vacant seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies on April 21.
The top electoral body issued a statementregarding the election programme for vacant NA and PA seats where reelection will be organised next week.
According to the notification, the by-polls will be held on six NA, 12 Punjab Assembly, 2 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, 2 Balochistan Assembly, and one Sindh Assembly seats.
A total of 239 candidates were going to participate in the forthcoming by-elections, including 50 contenders for NA seats, of which Pakistan Peoples Party leader Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari was elected unopposed in NA-207 constituency.
Another PPP leader Zubair Ahmed Junejo was also elected without facing any contest on PS-80 Dadu seat.Subsequently, 23 candidates were contesting by-polls for KP Assembly seats, 154 candidates for Punjab Assembly seats, and 12 candidates for Balochistan Assembly seats.
The ECP spokesperson said polling material has been provided to the provincial election commissioner, whereas, all district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) were fulfilling their duties in accordance with the by-polls’ schedule.
Additionally, the printing of ballot papers was continued since March 30, he added.The spokesperson said that the commission was also in contact with the interior, defence ministries, and provincial law enforcement agencies (LEAs) for peaceful conduct of the by-elections.
The NA seats on which by-elections will take place include NA-8 Bajaur, NA-44 Dera Ismail Khan-I, NA-119 Lahore-III, NA-132 Kasur-II, NA-196 Kamber Shadadkot-I and NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad-I.
The elections on NA-8 Bajaur and PK-22 Bajaur-IV were suspended after a candidate contesting as an independent on these constituencies was was shot dead.
