ISLAMABAD : Voting in By-election on two National Assembly and two Provincial Assembly constituencies started on Friday, Dunya News reported. The polling started at 8:00am and will continue till 5:00pm without any interval.

According to a statement issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the vacant seats on which by-polls are are being held include NA-45 Kurram, NA-75 Sialkot, PP-51 Gujranwala and PK-63 Nowshera.

Rangers and FC officials have been deployed outside polling stations and will be able to take action against any irregularities or violations. 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 due to coronavirus.

PML-N has fielded women candidates for both the seats in the by-elections. Noshin Iftikhar, daughter of late Syed Iftikhar-ud-Din, has been given party ticket in NA-75 constituency. Ali Asjad is PTI coalition’s candidate for the seat.

Similarly, ticket has been given to Talat Manzoor Cheema, wife of Chaudhry Shaukat Manzoor Cheema, in PP-51 Wazirabad constituency. PTI’s Chaudhry Yousuf Mehr will contest against her.

In NA-45 Kurram, PTI candidate 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.