ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yesterday started scrutiny of the nomination papers for the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies to contest February 8 general elections as the election watchdog has received over 28,000 nomination papers of political parties and independent candidates.
According to the details compiled by the ECP, over 7,000 male and nearly 500 female candidates have submitted nomination papers for national assembly seats. Over 17,000 candidates for provincial assemblies’ seats have submitted their nomination papers, currently under scrutiny by ECP concerned officials, according to the compiled figures.
The appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers can be submitted by January 3, and decisions on these appeals will be made by January 10.
The list will be finalized on January 11, 2024.
For the reserved seats, the ECP has received nearly 1500 nomination papers, which are under scrutiny. Nearly 400 non-Muslims have submitted their nomination papers for provincial assemblies, according to the data.
Meanwhile, on the reserved seats for non-Muslims, 361 men and 32 women have submitted their nomination papers for provincial assemblies. For national assembly seats, the number stands at 140 and 10, respectively. Here’s a brief province-wise breakdown of the nomination papers filed across the country.
SINDH
The ECP has received a total of 6,498 nomination papers in the province, with 1,681 candidates seeking to contest polls for the national assembly (general), whereas 4,265 nomination papers were submitted for provincial assembly seats (general).
A total of 427 nomination papers were filed for women’s reserved seats, along with 125 who seek to contest polls from the reserved seats for non-Muslims in the province.
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA
A total of 5,278 nomination papers have been filed in the province, with 1,322 candidates seeking to contest polls for the national assembly (general), whereas 3,464 nomination papers were submitted for provincial assembly seats (general).
A total of 418 nomination papers were filed for women’s reserved seats, along with 74 non-Muslims applying to contest elections from their respective reserved seats.
BALOCHISTAN
The top electoral body received a total of 2,669 nomination papers of which 631 were for general national assembly seats, whereas 1,788 were for general provincial assembly seats.
Meanwhile, 183 women along with 67 non-Muslims submitted nomination papers for their reserved seats, respectively.
PUNJAB
The province saw a total of 13,823 nomination papers being filed with 3,871 and 9,029 nomination papers being filed for national and provincial assembly seats (general), respectively. A total of 796 and 127 people filed their nomination papers for the reserved seats for women and non-Muslims, respectively.
ISLAMABAD
The federal capital saw a total of 208 people submitting their nomination papers for the national assembly (general), whereas 150 nomination papers were filed on the reserved seats for non-Muslims.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unveiled the priority lists submitted by political parties for women and minorities in the province.
Among the parties, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has drawn attention with its submissions. The National Assembly has earmarked 10 seats for women from the province, while the Provincial Assembly comprises 26 seats for women and 4 reserved seats for minorities. Among the key revelations is the submission of a list of 84 women candidates by political parties for the Provincial Assembly.
Meanwhile, PTI has submitted a list that includes 8 women candidates for the Provincial Assembly, a number lower than the lists provided by some other major parties.
Interestingly, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (JUI-F) has taken the lead by fielding a maximum of 19 women candidates for the Provincial Assembly. The Awami National Party (ANP) and the People’s Party have submitted lists with 13 women candidates each, while the Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamaat-e-Islami have included 8 women in their respective lists.
For the National Assembly, the People’s Party and the Muslim League have listed 7 and 5 women candidates, respectively. Jamaat-e-Islami, ANP, and JUI-F have submitted lists featuring four women each.
In a notable contrast, PTI’s submission for the Provincial Assembly includes only 3 women candidates, signalling a departure from the trend set by some of the other major political players.
Turning to minority representation, the JUI-F has listed 13 candidates for the four provincial minority seats, while the People’s Party and the PML-N have submitted lists with five candidates each. Interestingly, PTI has presented only one minority candidate for consideration.