Six NA, seven PA seats up for grabs as polling underway in high-stakes by-elections

• Seats vacant after PTI lawmakers’ disqualifications over May 9 riots.
• More than 20,000 police personnel deployed for security: Punjab IGP.
• 408 polling stations declared highly sensitive, 1,032 as sensitive.

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Polling is underway in by-elections in six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly constituencies, with voters casting ballots in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh and Haripur and other areas.

The voting, which commenced at 8am amid tight security, will continue till 5pm.

By-elections are being held in six National Assembly constituencies — NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal) and NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan).

Polling is also underway in seven Punjab Assembly constituencies, PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal) and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).

The seats became vacant largely due to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers convicted in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said that the election material, including ballot papers, has safely reached the polling stations, foolproof security arrangements have been made, and specific instructions have been issued to authorities concerned to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.

NA-18 and NA-129 are among the few high-profile constituencies where the electoral contest will be of paramount interest. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed disqualified MNA Omar Ayub Khan’s spouse Ms Shehnaz will face Babar Nawaz of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) in NA-18, while the late Mian Azhar’s nephew Arsalan Ahma,d is being seen as a potential rival to PMLN’s Hafiz Mian Nauman in Lahore’s NA-129, The News reported.

Security, code of conduct

As per the code of conduct released for the armed forces/civil armed forces, the personnel will perform their duties in accordance with the role of the  Armed Forces defined in Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the law and within the confines of the mandate assigned to Armed Forces to assist the ECP.

Their deployment is meant for the provision of a secure environment for easy and secure access of voters to the polling station. Wherein, the police will be first-tier responders, while civil armed forces as second-tier responders (standby/ quick reaction mode only) and Pakistan Army as 3rd tier responders (in-situ Quick Reaction Force Mode).

The code of conduct outlines that security personnel are to be deployed outside selected highly sensitive polling stations and must concentrate exclusively on ensuring a secure environment. 

They must not disallow any eligible voter from entering, except those found possessing weapons, explosives or creating a disturbance. The personnel are not to assume the duties of polling staff, take custody of any election material, or interfere in the functions of polling officials or the counting process.

Meanwhile, the ECP has also issued a code of conduct for the media, emphasising that unofficial results from a polling station should not be broadcast until at least one hour after polling concludes. Such results must be clearly indicated as unofficial and partial.

Broadcasters are warned that violations will lead the commission to approach the authorities concerned for disciplinary action. Only the Returning Officer concerned is authorised to release the final and official result of any constituency.

Also, the Punjab Inspector General Police (IGP) in a statement said that over 20,000 police personnel have been deployed for security.

“Voters will be provided with a peaceful environment,” the IGP said, adding that Section 144 of the CrPC was in effect and there arms ban violation — along with other prohibitions — will not be tolerated.

“Out of 2,792 polling stations, 408 are highly sensitive, 1,032 are sensitive,” the police official said, nothing that the polling process was being continuously monitored and that the police had the support of the Pakistan Army and the Punjab Rangers.

NA-129 — Lahore

NA-129 is in focus as PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) face off, with the ruling party aiming to reclaim the seat while PTI contests without its symbol.

Over 558,364 voters will choose a new representative following the death of former Punjab Governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, father of PTI’s Hammad Azhar. Mian Azhar had won the seat in 2024 as a PTI-backed independent before joining the Sunni Ittehad Council.

Chaudhry Arsalan Ahmad, Mian Azhar’s nephew, is nominated by Hammad Azhar, while PML-N’s Hafiz Mian Nauman, who lost to Mian Azhar by over 30,000 votes in 2024, is his main rival.

A total of 17 people are contesting in the constituency including independent candidates.

Faisalabad NA seats

Faisalabad has a busy day with four seats up for grabs. NA-96 alone has 16 people contesting, with PML-N’s Talal Badar Chaudhry facing a long list of independents.

There are 587,124 registered voters here and 345 polling stations. The seat was left empty after PTI’s Rai Haider Ali Kharal was unseated.

NA-104 is a smaller field, where PML-N’s Raja Daniyal is up against four independents. The constituency has around 557,000 voters and 375 polling stations. Chairman Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Sahibzada Hamid Raza, had held this seat before his disqualification. PP-116 features PML-N’s Rana Shehryar and five independents.

There are 190 polling stations for roughly 276,000 voters. The seat became vacant after Muhammad Ismail Sila’s disqualification in a May 9 case.

In PP-115, five candidates are in the race. PML-N’s Tahir Jamil is the main party-backed candidate, while the rest are independents. The seat was vacated after PTI’s Sheikh Shahid Javed was disqualified.

NA-18 — Haripur

In Haripur, nine candidates are vying for a seat in NA-18. PTI-backed independent Shehrnaz Omar Ayub is among the front-runners, with Pakistan PML-N’s Babar Nawaz Khan and Pakistan People’s Party’s ( PPP) Erum Fatima also in the mix.

Six other independent candidates have filed their papers as well. The constituency has a little over 753,000 voters, and 602 polling stations are operating today.

The seat had fallen vacant after PTI leader Omar Ayub’s disqualification in a May 9 case.

NA-185 — DG Khan

Eight candidates are contesting NA-185. A close fight is likely between PML-N’s Mahmood Qadir Leghari and PPP’s Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa.

There are 226 polling stations set up — separate stations for men and women, along with mixed ones. The seat became vacant after Zartaj Gul Wazir’s disqualification.

PP-87 — Mianwali

By-election is also being held in PP-96 Mianwali III where 193 polling stations, of which 65 have been declared sensitive, have been set up for a total of 283,272 registered voters.

The seat became vacant after the disqualification of former PA opposition leader Ahmed Khan Bachar. PMLN-‘s Ali Haider Noor Khan, independent candidate Awaz Khan Niazi and JUP’s Khalid Masood Khan are among the candidates contesting for the provincial seat.

A total of 1,500 security personnel have been deployed in the constituency for security.

PP-98 — Faisalabad I

PP-98 has 10 candidates. A close contest is expected between PML-N’s Azad Ali Tabbasum and independent Muhammad Ajmal Cheema.

There are 171 polling stations for nearly 290,000 voters. The seat had fallen empty after PTI’s Junaid Afzal Sahi was unseated and later sentenced in a May 9 case.

PP-73 — Sargodha

PP-73 has five candidates in total. PML-N’s Mian Sultan Ali Ranjha is up against four independents. The seat was declared vacant after PTI’s Ansar Iqbal Heral was disqualified and later given a 10-year sentence in a May 9 case.

PP-269 — Muzaffargarh

In PP-269, 17 candidates are trying their chances. PPP’s Alamdar Abbas Qureshi faces competition from independents Iqbal Khan and Abdul Hai Dasti.

The seat opened up after Qureshi stepped down before a recount request by Iqbal Khan was to be taken up.