MARDAN: Twenty-three candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have filed their nomination papers for the by-election on PK-53 scheduled to be held on Oct 14.

Officials in the Mardan district election commission told this correspondent on Friday that a total of 27 candidates of different parties had filed nomination papers to contest the by-election on PK-53, which was vacated by Ameer Haider Khan Hoti of Awami National Party as he kept the NA-21 seat.

According to ECP officials, one each candidate of ANP, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F and Qaumi Watan Party, and an independent had also filed papers to contest the by-polls.

Each PTI candidate has been striving hard and is using his influence to get the party ticket for the seat.

Sources within PTI said that filing of nomination papers for by-polls in PK-53 by such a large number of PTI candidates had put the party leadership in a fix.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2018