ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: Delimitation of constituencies will start immediately after legal cover is provided to the increase in the number of seats in the national and the provincial assemblies, the Election Commission announced on Thursday.

A press release said that the commission had obtained reports containing population figures for the last census Patwar circle-wise, Qanoongo Halqa-wise, at sub-division level and at district level.

The EC will follow the principles envisaged by Section 9 of the Delimitation of Constituencies Act 1974.

According to the section, all constituencies shall, as far as practicable, be delimited having regard to the distribution of population in geographically compact areas, existing boundaries of administrative units, facilities of communication and public convenience and other cognate factors to ensure homogeneity in the creation of constituencies.

As far as may be, the constituencies for election to the same assembly shall be equal among themselves in population.