ISLAMABAD - The by-elections on 20 polling stations in NA-91 Sargodha-IV on February 2 and on PK-30 Mansehra-I, a vacant seat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, on February 26 are set to be the arena for a tough contest between the ruling PTI and PML-N.

In NA-91, the runner-up in 2018 general elections PTI candidate Chaudhary Amir Sultan Cheema has challenged the victory of PML-N candidate Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti PML-N.

Cheema moved the ECP and consequently it ordered an investigation which recounted the poled votes and found irregularities in 20 polling stations.

Now a stage is set to hold by-election on these 20 polling stations in NA-91 on February 2. The PML-N will have to defend its victory to retain this seat. 

Likewise, an interesting contest is expected in PK-30 Mansehra-I by-poll on February 26. The seat had fallen vacant due to the disqualification of PML-N MPA Mian Zia-ur-Rehman by the Supreme Court in a fake degree case in October last.

In this case, the PML-N will also have to defend its position to retain the seat it had won in the general elections held in July last year. 

The ECP has published the final list of candidates contesting the by-elections on the PK-30 Mansehra-I.

According to the list, seven candidates are in the run out of which three are contesting election from the platform of political parties and four are independents.