By-polls: Voting for by-elections begins in four constituencies

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is holding by-elections on four vacant seats today which include NA-45 Kurram, NA-75 Sialkot, PP-51 Gujranwala and PK-63 Nowshera.

A tough contest is being expected between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate, Syeda Nosheen and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI), Amjad Malhi.

Rangers and FC officials have been deployed outside polling stations to avoid any untoward incident. Rangers will be able to take action against any violation. However, they will be required to notify the relevant presiding officers before taking the said action.

The seat of NA-75 Tehsil Daska, District Sialkot was vacated after the death of PML-N’s MNA Syed Iftikhar-ud-Din in August 2020.

Provincial Assembly seat PP-51 Wazirabad was vacated due to death of PML-N MPA Chaudhry Shaukat Manzoor Cheema in June 2020 amid coronavirus.

PML-N fielded female candidates for both the seats in the by-elections.

Syed Iftikhar-ud-din's daughter, Nosheen Iftikhar has been given party ticket in the NA-75 constituency. Ali Asjad is PTI coalition’s candidate for the seat.

Similarly, ticket has been given to Talat Manzoor Cheema, wife of late Chaudhry Shaukat Manzoor Cheema, in PP-51 Wazirabad constituency.

Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan's (TLP), Muhammad Khalil Sindhu and the other seven independent candidates are also running for the NA seat.

In NA-45 Kurram, PTI's Fakhr Zaman Khan is contesting against Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s Malik Jamil Khan.

In Nowshera, a close fight is expected between PML-N’s Ikhtiar Wali and PTI’s Omar Kakakhel in PK-63 constituency.

The ECP has established 102 polling stations in the constituency to facilitate 141,934 voters including 79,063 men and 62,871 women.