Bigwigs battling for NA seats in by-election

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GEO NEWS
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Over 300 candidates, including some big names, are contesting for 35 National and provincial assembly seats in the by-polls scheduled for October 14.

Seats up for grabs include 11 from National Assembly, 11 from Punjab Assembly, nine from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two each from Sindh and Balochistan.

Over 5 million registered voters, about 2.3 million women and over 2.7 million men, will exercise their right to vote tomorrow (Sunday) on the 11 NA seats which are up for grabs.

National Assembly seats where by-polls will be conducted are:

  • NA-35 Bannu
  • NA-53 Islamabad-2
  • NA-56 Attock-2
  • NA-60 Rawalpindi-4
  • NA-63 Rawalpindi-7
  • NA-65 Chakwal-2
  • NA-69 Gujrat-2
  • NA-103 Faisalabad-3
  • NA-124 Lahore-2
  • NA-131 Lahore-9
  • NA-243 Karachi East-2

Six of these 11 seats were won by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the July 25 general election and some were later vacated by the party members. PTI Chief and Prime Minister Imran Khan had won on four seats while party leaders Tahir Sadiq and Ghulam Sarwar Khan won on one seat each.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Hamza Shehbaz also vacated a NA seat to take up the role of opposition leader in Punjab Assembly, while two seats by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid were vacated by its chief Pervez Elahi to be elected as Punjab Assembly speaker.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had postponed election on two seats, namely NA-60, after PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi was disqualified in a corruption case, and NA-103, a candidate of which passed away before the election.

Big names contesting in the by-poll include PML-N’s Saad Rafique, PTI’s Humayun Akhtar and Pakistan Peoples Party’s Asim Mehmood, from NA-131, Lahore-9.

From NA-124, former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PTI’s Ghulam Moheyuddin Deewan and PPP’s Shehbaz Mehmood Bhatti are in the run. Ali Gohar Khan is contesting on a PML-N ticket while PTI’s Muhammad Saadullah will contest for the NA-103 seat.

From NA-243, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Amir Waliuddin, PTI’s Alamgir Khan and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s Syed Nawaz are taking part in the poll contest.

In addition, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed’s nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafique and Pervez Elahi’s son Moonis Elahi are contesting from NA-69.