On election day, PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif sends message to NA-249 residents

• PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif releases a statement to the public on the day of the by-election in Karachi's NA-249.
• Says public can elect a competent and honest leader with power of voting.
• Polling for the by-election in the NA-249 constituency started at 8am and will continue till 5pm without any interval.

LAHORE: PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif released a message to residents of NA-249 amid the by-poll in the Karachi constituency today (Thursday).

The PML-N president appealed to the people of NA-249 to leave their homes and exercise their constitutional and democratic right to vote responsibly.

Shahbaz said the public can elect a competent and honest leader with their power to vote.

Read more: PTI leading every survey in Karachi's NA-249, says Firdous Shamim Naqvi

He also asked the citizens to take care of themselves and others around them in view of the spread of coronavirus.

Balloting for the by-election in the NA-249 constituency started at 8am and will continue till 5pm without any interval. The National Assembly seat fell vacant after Vawda resigned.

The Sindh government has announced a public holiday today (Thursday, April 29) to facilitate voters.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has deployed special staff for strict implementation of coronavirus guidelines as long as the polling process continues.

NA 249 by-election: Here's what you need to know about the constituency

There are 30 candidates in the electoral arena, including PML-N’s Miftah Ismail, PTI's Amjad Afridi, PPP'S Qadir Khan Mandokhel, Karachi’s former mayor Mustafa Kamal and MQM's Hafiz Mursaleen, besides 18 independent candidates.

There are over 339,000 registered voters in NA-249, including 201,656 male and 137,935 female voters, who are casting their votes on 276 polling stations. The ECP has declared 184 polling stations highly sensitive and 92 others sensitive.