PTI names candidates for Punjab by-elections

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Wednesday announced its candidates for upcoming by–elections on Punjab’s provincial and national assemblies’ seats.

In a statement, the Imran Khan-founded party’s Punjab chapter acting president Hammad Azhar announced the names of PTI-backed candidates for the April 21 by-polls to be held on six NA and 12 PA constituencies in Punjab.

However, it is not clear whether the PTI-backed candidates will run for the by-elections as independent or from the platform of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

The PTI-backed independent candidates who emerged victorious in the February 8 elections joined the SIC in a bid to get reserved seats as the party lost its iconic 'bat' electoral symbol as a result of the Supreme Court's verdict on the party's intra-party polls declared by the Election Commission as "unconstitutional".

PTI-backed candidates to contest April 21 by-polls:

NA-119 (Lahore): Shahzad Farooq

NA-132 (Kasur): Sardar Muhammad Hussain Dogar

PP-32 (Gujrat): Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi

PP-149 (Lahore): Hafiz Zeeshan

PP-158 (Lahore): Moonis Elahi

PP-164 (Lahore): Yousuf Meo

PP-139 (Sheikhupura): Aijaz Bhatti

PP-22 (Chakwal): Hakim Nisar

PP-54 (Narowal): Owais Qasim

The by-elections will be held in six constituencies of the National Assembly, 12 provincial assembly constituencies in Punjab, two each in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and one in the Sindh province.