Imran Khan won't contest by-polls on 33 NA seats

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former premier Imran Khan has decided not to contest by-polls on 33 National Assembly (NA) seats scheduled for March 16, ARY News reported on Friday citing sources.

Sources privy to the development told ARY News that the PTI chief has decided to field other party candidates for by-polls on 33 NA seats.

The move comes a day after Imran Khan withdrew his candidature for by-poll for a National Assembly constituency.

The by-election on the NA-193, Rajanpur constituency, will be held on Feb 26 for which the PTI had nominated Khan as candidate.

In a change of decision, the political party has now issued a ticket to former provincial minister Sardar Mohsin Leghari for the upcoming by-polls scheduled for February 26.

It is pertinent to mention here that by-polls on 33 NA seats would be held on March 16, for which nomination papers can be received from February 6 to 8.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recently denotified 35 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs after the NA speaker accepted their resignations. NA speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf accepted the resignations of 113 PTI members last week in phases.

The by-polls will be held in the following constituencies:

NA-04 Swat-III
NA-17 Haripur-I
NA-18 Swabi-I
NA-25 Nowshera-I
NA-26 Nowshera-II
NA-32 Kohat
NA-38 D I Khan-I
NA-43 Khyber-I
NA-52 Islamabad-I
NA-53 Islamabad-II
NA-54 Islamabad-III
NA-57 Rawalpindi-I
NA-59 Rawalpindi-III
NA-60 Rawalpindi-IV
NA-62 Rawalpindi-VI
NA-63 Rawalpindi-VII
NA-67 Jhelum-II
NA-97 Bhakkar-I
NA-126 Lahore-IV
NA-130 Lahore-VIII
NA-155 Multan-II
NA-156 Multan-III
NA-191 Dera Ghazi Khan-III
NA-241 Korangi Karachi-III
NA-242 Karachi East-I
NA-243 Karachi East-II
NA-244 Karachi East-III
NA-247 Karachi South-II
NA-250 Karachi West-III
NA-252 Karachi West-V
NA-254 Karachi Central-II
NA-256 Karachi Central-IV
NA-265 Quetta-II