LODHRAN: Polling for the National Assembly seat (NA-154) in Lodhran will be held on Monday (tomorrow) with constituents set to decide the fate of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in wake of disqualification of party leader Jahangir Tareen.
The Lodhran by-poll is being seen as a litmus test for the PTI in the build-up to the upcoming general elections scheduled this year around August.
The NA seat fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified the Tareen under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution on December 15.
He was de-seated for deliberately submitting a false statement in the Supreme Court (SC) to conceal his property in the United Kingdom.
As many as 10 candidates are in the run for the NA seat. The PTI has fielded Tareen’s son Ali Tareen as its candidate, whereas Pir Iqbal Shah will contest the by-polls on the ticket of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
A tough contest is expected between the arch-rivals – PTI and PML-N candidates.
According to the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP), 328 polling stations have been set up in the constituency for 431,002 registered voters.
As many as 338 presiding officers and 1,043 assistant presiding officers will perform duties at 1,043 polling booths.
In the 2015 by-polls, Jahangir Tareen had won the seat after defeating the PML-N’s Siddiqui Baloch with a margin of more than 35, 000 votes.
The SC had ordered re-election in the constituency after it found irregularities in 2013 elections.
The ECP has issued notices to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and others to appear before its regional election commissioner for violating its code of conduct for NA-154 polls.
