GUJRANWALA: Polling is underway in the by-elections for National Assembly constituency NA-77 in Gujranwala and Punjab Assembly constituency PP-203 in Chichawatni, where candidates from different political parties and independents are contesting the vacant seats.
In NA-77, Rashid Bashir Warraich of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Qazi Ibrahim Gujjar of the Markazi Muslim League, and independent candidate Alfateh Rasool Warraich are contesting the election.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has not fielded a candidate for the seat, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is boycotting the by-election.
According to the Election Commission, NA-77 has 518,000 registered voters, with 333 polling stations established across the constituency.
Meanwhile, seven candidates are contesting the by-election in PP-203, Chichawatni. PML-N candidate Asad Hanif Jutt is among the contestants, while Owais Gujjar, Chaudhry Shoaib, Asif Sultan, Waheed Kathia, Umar Bashir Jutt and Farhan are contesting as independent candidates.
The PTI has also boycotted the by-election in this constituency, while neither the PPP nor Jamaat-e-Islami has fielded a candidate.
PP-203 has 258,122 registered voters, and a total of 185 polling stations have been established. Seven police reserve units have also been kept ready to provide security during the election.
It is worth mentioning that NA-77 fell vacant following the death of PML-N’s Mahmood Bashir Warraich, while PP-203 became vacant after the death of PML-N’s Hanif Jutt.
