ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced to hold by-polls on 33 vacant National Assembly seats on March 16.
According to the ECP’s election schedule, candidates will be able to file their nomination papers between February 6-8. The names of the candidates will be published on February 9 and the returning officers (RO) will carry out the scrutiny of the nomination papers till February 13.
The last date to file appeals against the RO’s decision on the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers is February 16. The last date for the appellate tribunal to decide on the appeals is February 20. After this, the revised list of candidates will be published on February 21.
The last date to withdraw candidature and release of revised list of candidates is February 22, while the election symbols will be allotted on February 23 and the polls will be held on March 16.
The constituencies, where by-polls will be held on March 16 include: NA-04 Swat-III, NA-53 Islamabad-II, NA-126 Lahore-IV, NA-247 Karachi South-II, NA-17 Haripur-I, NA-54 Islamabad-III, NA-130 Lahore-VIII, NA-250 Karachi West-III, NA-18 Swabi-I, NA-57 Rawalpindi-I, NA-155 Multan-I, NA-252 Karachi West-V, NA-25 Nowshera-I, NA-59 Rawalpindi-III, NA-156 Multan-III, NA-254 Karachi Central-II, NA-26 Nowshera-II, NA-60 Rawalpindi-IV, NA-191 Dera Ghazi Khan-III, NA-256 Karachi Central-IV, NA-32 Kohat, NA-62 Rawalpindi-VI, NA-241 Korangi Karachi-III, NA-265 Quetta-II, NA-38 D.I. Khan-I, NA-63 Rawalpindi-VII, NA-242 Karachi East-I, NA-43 Khyber-I, NA-67 Jhelum-II, NA-243 Karachi East-II, NA-52 Islamabad-I, NA-97 Bhakkar-I and NA-244 Karachi East-III.
These seats fell vacant after the PTI MNAs had tendered their resignations en masse after the Imran Khan-led government was ousted via a no-confidence motion in April of last year.
A few days ago, their resignations were accepted by the National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf and consequently the ECP de-notified them. The resignations of 123 PTI MNAs have so far been accepted and all have been de-notified by the ECP.
