Lahore: Bye-Poll Underway in PP-160

The bye-election is being held in PP-160 constituency at Lahore for the Provincial Assembly seat. Rangers have been deployed at 13 polling stations in PP-160, officials said.

The election started at 8 am this morning and will continue till 5 pm. The total number of polling stations in the constituency is 178.

The election will be held under voters' lists of 2008 with 187,300 registered voters (106,000 men and 81,300 women).

After the withdrawal of nomination papers by six candidates, 11 are in the run. The major contest is likely between Malik Saiful Malook (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz), Zaheer Abbas Khokhar (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf) and Jahangir Bara (Jamaat-i-Islami).

Every candidate has pledged to change the fate of PP-160 people. The PTI candidate talks about a 'change', JI's for 'Waada Nahi Kaam' and PML-N's for bringing a 'revolution'.

The JI workers have warned the PML-N government of using official machinery in the election. "PML-N and PTI candidates are members of the land mafia and they do not believe in fair polls," JI worker Muhammad Ali said.

On the other hand, PTI workers said the PML-N candidate was misusing the laws of wall-chalking. All banners and posters of the PTI candidate had been removed "forcefully", said PTI's Abdul Nasir.

"We do not want to indulge in a blame game. Our development work speaks our performance," says a PML-N supporter Rajab.

Localities of Ali Razaabad, Fatehabad, Hussainabad, Azeemabad, Barkatpura, Kachi Kothi, Niaz Beg, PCSIR, Wapda Town and Valencia fall in the constituency.