Polling for election of new Islamabad mayor begins

ISLAMABAD: Polling for the election of new mayor of Islamabad began on Monday morning.

The polling process that began at 9am will continue until 5pm without any break, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has fielded Pir Adil Shah while the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Malik Sajid Mahmood. An independent candidate, Azhar Mahmood is also in the run for the slot of the Islamabad mayor.

Also Read: Govt withdraws suspension notification of Islamabad mayor

In the 73-member electoral college, the main opposition party PML-N enjoys a clear majority with 47 votes against the 25 votes of the PTI.

The seat of the mayor fell vacant after Sheikh Anser Aziz resigned from the post in October last, months after he was restored by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after being suspended over corruption allegations.

In 2016, Sheikh Anser Aziz was elected the first mayor of Islamabad.