ISLAMABAD: The polling for by-elections on the vacant seat of Sindh Assembly (PS 127) Karachi is underway on Thursday.
The ECP has made all necessary arrangements to hold a day-long polling process.
According to report, the polling has started at 8:00 am and continue till 5:00pm sans any interval.
The ECP has advised candidates, political parties contesting the by-elections in Karachi to stop holding public meetings including on electronic and print media from Wednesday.
The candidates violating the deadline would have to endure rigorous imprisonment upto six months or fine up to Rs 100,000 or both.
As per rules, the candidates, political parties participating in the elections must stop their election campaign 48 hours before the polling day. They must adhere to law to pave the way for holding by-elections in a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.
A total of 207,467 voters have been registered in the constituency, out of which as many as 91,355 are women. The ECP has established 134 polling stations for smooth polling process. 66
Polling stations have been declared most sensitive and remaining are marked as sensitive.
Heavy contingents of law enforcement agencies, including Sindh Rangers, will also be deployed inside and outside of every polling station to maintain the law and order situation and ensure free and fair polling process.
The Rangers officials and district returning officer (DRO) have also been given the magisterial powers for the polling day.
The seat had fell vacant when former MPA Ashfaq Mangi quit the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to join Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP).He had also resigned from the Sindh Assembly seat.
For the by-elections, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has fielded former MPA Waseem Ahmed while the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Murtaza Baloch and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Nadeem Memon.
In the 2013 General Elections, MQM candidate Ashfaq Mangi was declared victorious with 59,811 votes. PPP’s Muhammad Ashraf Samoo remained second with 15,158 votes while PTI’s Syed Azhar received 13,818 votes.
