ISLAMABAD: The deadline for the political parties to wind up their respective election campaigns passed Friday midnight — as by-polls are scheduled on 21 seats of the Assemblies on Sunday (tomorrow).
The Section 182 of Elections Act 2017 provides that no person shall convene, hold or attend any public meeting, or promote or join in any procession, within the area of a constituency or, in the case of the Senate election, a province, during a period of 48 hours, ending at midnight, following the conclusion of the poll for any election in that constituency or province.
As many as 239 candidates are in run for by-elections on 21 seats of all the Assemblies except Sindh Assembly.
Of them, 50 candidates are running for five National Assembly seats, 154 candidates for 12 Punjab Assembly seats, 23 candidates for two Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seats and 12 contestants for two Balochistan Assembly seats.
The by-elections were originally scheduled on 23 seats of the Assemblies on April 21 — comprising 19 seats vacated by those candidates who had won more than one seats in February 8 general elections, and four seats saw elections postponement due to the deaths of contesting candidates.
The general elections that were scheduled on NA-8 and KPA seat PK-22 were delayed due to the assassination of a candidate contesting polls on the two seats. Polls were also postponed on KPA seat PK-91 and PA seat PP-266 due to the deaths of the respective contestants ahead of February 8 general polls.
The 19 seats vacated by candidates who won more than one seats in the general polls, and where by-polls were originally scheduled, were: NA-44, NA-119, NA-132, NA-196, NA-207, PP-22, PP-32, PP-36, PP-54, PP-93, PP-139, PP-147, PP-149, PP-158, PP-164, PP-290, PB-20, PB-22 and PS-80.
However, with Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Zubair Junejo, both from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), elected unopposed on their respective NA and SA seats, by-elections would not be held on NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad and PS-80 Dadu.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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