LAHORE: All is set to hold general elections on 144 national and 297 provincial assembly constituencies in Punjab today, as all necessary arrangements in this regard have been finalised by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
There are 740.2 million registered voters in Punjab for which 50,900 polling stations, 149,390 booths and 524,070 polling staff has been deputed across the province. CCTV surveillance has been planned for highly sensitive polling stations across the province.
Polling material was being delivered to the respective presiding officers of the constituencies across the province. The polling materials, including ballot boxes, ballot papers and other essential items, are being delivered.
The polling will start at 9 am and continue without any break till 5 pm, however, the voters who will be present in the polling stations will be allowed to cast votes.
In adherence to the Election Commission’s code of conduct, clear instructions were issued to all presiding officers stationed at polling stations to ensure a smooth and transparent election process. The ECP has set up a coherent system for monitoring on Election Day and the complaints received through telephone, Whatsapp and email will be resolved immediately. Control rooms at the federal, provincial, divisional and district levels are operational facilitating efficient management and response.
Police have finalised a security plan for the elections and thousands of police personnel deployed across Punjab to ensure smooth conduct of elections. Highly sensitive areas and polling stations have been geo-tagged for enhanced monitoring. Stringent action will be taken against violations of Section 40, which prohibits carrying weapons near polling stations.
Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting, which finalised election arrangements in the province. The CM emphasised that internet and mobile services will remain operational throughout the province on Election Day without interruption.
Highlighting the importance of transparency, Naqvi urged the district administration officers to actively oversee election duties in the field. He noted the installation of 32,000 CCTV cameras at polling stations for which the Punjab government saved Rs 1 billion in the procurement of CCTV cameras.
Emphasising adherence to SOPs and the Election Commission’s code of conduct, the CM directed for the activation of control rooms and the establishment of an efficient complaint redressal mechanism. He stressed that ensuring peaceful and fair elections is a national responsibility, urging everyone to work together as a team.
Moreover, the PML-N candidates will be contesting on 212 NA constituencies across the country on February 8 leaving the field open on 51 NA seats for rivals or allies.
PML-N supremo Nawaz is contesting polls in NA-15 (Mansehra) and NA-130 (Lahore) constituencies. PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz is contesting the election from NA-119 and Hamza Shehbaz will be contesting from NA-118 Lahore. The PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif will be contesting the election from NA-123 and NA-132.
The constituencies where the PML-N has not fielded its candidates are: NA-4 (Swat-III), NA-19 (Swabi-I), NA-20 (Swabi-II), NA-21 (Mardan-I), NA-22 (Mardan-III), NA-44 (Dera Ismail Khan-I), NA-45 (Dera Ismail Khan-II), NA-48 (Islamabad-III), NA-54 (Islamabad-III), NA-64 (Gujrat-III), NA-88 (Khushab-II), NA-92 (Bhakkar-II), NA-117 (Lahore-I), NA-128 (Lahore-XII), NA-143 (Sahiwal-III), NA-149 (Multan-II). The PML-N candidates are also not contesting on NA-165, NA-185, NA-190 to NA-204, and NA-206 to NA-210, NA-212, NA-214, NA-215, NA-217, NA-218, NA-221, NA-223, NA-224, NA-228, NA-239, NA-245, NA-264 and NA-266.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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