General Elections 2024 'most expensive' in Pakistan's history

ISLAMABAD: The General Elections 2024 are considered to be the most expensive polls in Pakistan’s history as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has estimated the expenditures at Rs42 billion which is 26 percent more than the last general elections.

As per ECP sources, with the expenses on security and other arrangements by the provincial government, the total expenditure on the general elections would cross Rs49 billion.

According to details, all is set for holding the elections on February 8 with all political parties and independents have done all what they could to convince the voters.

The initial budget of 42 billion rupees was kept for the general elections, making it 26 percent more expensive than 2018’s election as well as the most expensive in Pakistan’s history.

The major chunk of the election’s budget is spent on the printing of ballot papers, deployment of law-enforcement agencies, and payment to polling staffers.

Earlier on February 4, the ECP has successfully completed the printing of 260 million ballot papers for all constituencies in the country.

ECP officials disclosed that this time, a total of 260 million ballot papers were printed, reflecting a 54.74% rise in candidates compared to the 2018 elections. Despite a 195% surge in demand for special paper, effective management led to a reduction from 2400 tonnes to 2177 tonnes.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has established 92,000 polling stations across the country for the upcoming general elections, slated for Feb 8, 2024.

Sources told ARY News that a total of 92,353 polling stations would be set up across the country.

According to the draft of the scheme prepared by the ECP, a total of 52,412 polling stations will be established in Punjab for the general elections.

Of the total, 6,040 polling stations in Punjab have been declared highly sensitive. Whereas, 15,617 polling stations in the province have been declared sensitive.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a total of 15,737 polling stations will be set up. Of these, 4,726 have been declared highly sensitive while 6,180 declared sensitive.

In Sindh, 4,718 polling stations have been declared as normal, 6,576 as sensitive, and 7,802 as highly sensitive. Similarly, 5,015 polling stations will be set up in Balochistan.