Pakistan goes to polls as candidates pray for victory

More than 105.9 million voters in Pakistan will elect their representatives for National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies on Wednesday (today).

The polling will begin at 8AM in the morning and continue till 6PM in the evening. It is the first time that the polling time has been extended by one hour for the convenience of voters.

There is public holiday on Wednesday so that the people could exercise their right to vote without any hindrance.

Of the 272 seats of National Assembly, elections will be held on 270 seats. Election on two National Assembly constituencies have been postponed.

12,500 candidates

Over 12,500 candidates are in the run for the seats of National and provincial assemblies.

According to the electoral rolls, 105.96 million voters are eligible to cast the vote. Of these , 59.22 million are male and 46.73 million are females.

85,307 polling stations

In all, 85,307 polling stations have been set up across the country.  Over twenty thousand polling stations have been declared sensitive and CCTV cameras have been installed inside and outside all the sensitive polling stations.

450,000 policemen and three hundred thousand army troops will be deployed on the polling day. As many as 750,000 polling staff will perform duty on the election day.

Caretaker Prime Minister retired Justice Nasir-Ul-Mulk will cast his vote in Swat.

Military fans out

“With the grace of God, we want to see a peaceful election tomorrow,” Election Commission secretary Babar Yaqoob told media, but warned that there were security challenges and threats.

The military has stationed over 370,000 personnel nationwide to ensure the vote goes smoothly — the largest such deployment in Pakistan’s history on an election day. It has said the soldiers will work with local law enforcement to ensure “a safe and secure environment” for voting.

Who can win?

Recent nationwide polls indicate a tight race, with Khan’s party ahead on 30 percent in one survey, compared to 27 percent for PML-N. Sharif’s party tops another poll with 26 percent compared to 25 percent for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

In third place was the Pakistan People’s Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 29, the son of two-time Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007. The PPP could emerge as a coalition kingmaker if no party wins a majority, as many expect.

The PML-N has taken hope in another opinion poll focusing on Punjab only – Sharif’s party had a lead of 51 percent to PTI’s 30 percent, according to the IPOR Consulting survey conducted from April 15 to June 2.

Respondents listed top two election issues as access to clean water and gas for cooking, each at 17 percent. Inflation and corruption were ranked last, at 1 percent each.