Bushra Siddiqui

The General Elections 2024 have seen active participation, with a total of 28,626 candidates submitting their nomination papers for both national and provincial assemblies. The deadline for submission was Sunday, marking a significant step in the electoral process.

The scrutiny of these nomination papers began on December 25 and will continue until December 31, as per Election Commission guidelines. According to official documents, 7,913 nomination papers were filed for the general seats of the National Assembly, while 18,546 nomination papers were submitted for the general seats of provincial assemblies.

Breaking down the numbers by provinces, the Election Commission reported that 13,823 nomination papers were submitted from Punjab, 6,498 from Sindh, 5,278 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 2,669 from Balochistan. Additionally, 459 women have filed nomination papers for the 60 reserved seats for women in the National Assembly. Furthermore, 140 male and 10 female candidates are contending for the 10 minority seats.

In a separate development, 358 nomination papers were submitted for three general and specific seats of the National Assembly from Islamabad.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken measures to address appeals concerning the acceptance or rejection of candidates’ nomination papers. A total of 24 appellate tribunals have been appointed for this purpose. These tribunals will review decisions initially made by returning officers and have jurisdiction over National Assembly constituencies, all provincial assembly constituencies, and seats reserved for women and non-Muslims.

The distribution of appellate tribunals includes nine judges in Punjab, six in Sindh, five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two each in Balochistan and Islamabad.