2.029mn Voters To Cast Vote In Bye Elections On One NA, 9 PA Seats In KP On Sunday

As many as 2.299 million registered voters would exercise their right of franchise in bye elections being held on one NA and nine provincial assembly constituencies of Khyber Pakthunkhwa on October 14 (Sunday).

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Oct, 2018 ) :As many as 2.299 million registered voters would exercise their right of franchise in bye elections being held on one NA and nine provincial assembly Constituencies of Khyber Pakthunkhwa on October 14 (Sunday).

The Election Commission of Pakistan has completed all arrangements for the bye-elections. The number of registered male voters is 1.151 million and 0.878 million female voters.

A total of 158 candidates including three females are in the run for the bye elections against one NA and nine PA seats of the province. Two women are contesting on NA-35 and one in PK-78 Peshawar constituency.

The bye-election will be held on NA-35 constituency Bannu and nine provincial assembly seats including two each in Swat, Nowshera and DI Khan and one each provincial assembly seat in Swabi, Peshawar and Mardan.

The nine PK seats where election would be held included PK-3 and PK7 in Swat, PK-61 and PK-64 in Nowshera, PK-97 and PK-99 in DI Khan, PK-78 Peshawar, PK-44 Swabi and PK53 Mardan.

The polling will start at 8am and will continue till 5pm without any break. Voters in premises of polling stations will be allowed to cast their votes. Carrying of arms, mobile phones and cameras would not be allowed inside polling stations.

The NA-35 Bannu seat had fallen vacant after Imran Khan vacated the seat and kept his National Assembly seat from his native Mianwali district.

PK-3 Swat seat has been vacated by PTI's Dr Haider Ali, PK-7 Swat by PTI's Dr Amjad Ali, PK-44 Swabi by Asad Qaiser, PK-53 Mardan by Ameer Haider Khan Hoti of ANP, PK-61 and PK-64 Nowshera by former chief minister Pervez Khattak, PK-78 Peshawar where election couldn't be held due to the death of ANP's Haroon Bilour in a terrorist attack during the election campaign, PK-97 DI Khan vacated by PTI's Ali Amin Gandapur, and PK-99 Dera Ismail Khan where election was also postponed after the death of PTI's Sardar Ikramullah Gandapur in a suicide bombing.

In majority of the constituencies, the election contest is between the candidates of the ruling PTI, the ANP and the JUIF. The grand opposition parties have fielded joint candidates against the PTI's nominee in the constituencies.

The ECP has also notified Names of district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers for KP by-elections.

Javed Iqbal, regional election commissioner Malakand, was appointed as DRO for PK-3 and PK-7 in Swat. Muhammad Naeem, REC Mardan, was made DRO for PK-44 Swabi, Abdul Hafeez, REC Hazara, was appointed DRO for PK-44 Mardan, Zulfiqar Ahmad, deputy election commissioner, Nowshera, will perform duty as DRO for PK-61 and PK-64 Nowshera, Fazle Hakeem, REC Peshawar, wasappointed as DRO for PK-78, Peshawar, and Abdul Qayyum Shinwari, REC DI Khan,was made DRO for PK-97 and PK-99, DI Khan.