PTI announces candidates for Punjab by-elections

• Hammad Azhar announces names of PTI-backed candidates.
• ECP issues by-polls schedule for 23 assemblies' seats.
• Candidates can withdraw from by-election by March 29.
  

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday announced its candidates for upcoming by–elections on Punjab’s provincial and national assemblies’ seats.

In a statement, the Imran Khan-founded party’s Punjab chapter acting president Hammad Azhar announced the names of PTI-backed candidates for the April 21 by-polls to be held on six NA and 12 PA constituencies in Punjab.

However, it is not clear whether the PTI-backed candidates will run for the by-elections as independent or from the platform of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

The PTI-backed independent candidates who emerged victorious in the February 8 elections joined the SIC in a bid to get reserved seats as the party lost its iconic 'bat' electoral symbol as a result of the Supreme Court's verdict on the party's intra-party polls declared by the Election Commission as "unconstitutional".

PTI-backed candidates to contest April 21 by-polls:

• NA-119 (Lahore): Shahzad Farooq
• NA-132 (Kasur): Sardar Muhammad Hussain Dogar
• PP-32 (Gujrat): Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
• PP-149 (Lahore): Hafiz Zeeshan
• PP-158 (Lahore): Moonis Elahi
• PP-164 (Lahore): Yousuf Meo
• PP-139 (Sheikhupura): Aijaz Bhatti
• PP-22 (Chakwal): Hakim Nisar
• PP-54 (Narowal): Owais Qasim
  

Earlier this month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had issued by-polls schedule for 23 assembly seats across the country, where polling could not be held on February 8 or the seat fell vacant after the general election.

The by-elections will be held in six constituencies of the National Assembly, 12 provincial assembly constituencies in Punjab, two each in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and one in the Sindh province.

According to the schedule, candidates filed their nomination papers from March 16 to 18, whereas the nominated candidates’ names were published on March 18.

Similarly, the scrutiny of papers by the returning officers (ROs) was conducted on March 21, while appeals could be filed against rejection or acceptance of nomination till March 25. The appellate tribunal will have to decide on the appeals by March 28 and the revised list of candidates will be issued the same day.

Candidates will be able to withdraw from the by-election by March 29 and the next day, the candidates will be allotted election symbols.