FAISALABAD, Feb 19: The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced the schedule of by-election for 511 seats of Nazims, Naib Nazims and councillors lying vacant in the three districts of the defunct Faisalabad division.

According to the schedule, nomination papers will be filed on March 3 and 4 and list of aspiring candidates will be displayed on March 5. Objections to nomination papers will be filed on March 6 and 7 and scrutiny of the papers will be held on the two succeeding days.

Appeals against rejection of nomination papers will be filed on March 10, 11 and March 12 while decisions on appeals will be announced on March 15. The schedule further says nomination papers could be withdrawn on March 16 and the next day has been fixed for allotment of election symbols. The by-election are scheduled to be held on March 28.

According to the Election Commission sources, 242 seats of councillors and Nazims are lying vacant in the Faisalabad district, 210 in Jhang and 59 in Toba Tek Singh because of a variety of reasons, including resignations by elected representatives for contesting the previous general elections.

In the 156 union councils out of 289 in Faisalabad, 22 seats of Nazims, five of Naib Nazims, 33 of general councillors, 78 of women general councillors, 18 of labour councillors, 53 of women labour councillors and 33 of minority councillors have been lying vacant for long.

In Jhang, by-polls for 121 (out of 128 union councils) will be held. The contests are for 11 seats of Nazims, two of Naib Nazims, 19 of general councillors, 25 of women general councillors, 10 of labour councillors, 29 of women labour councillors and 114 of minority councillors.

In all the 38 union councils of Toba Tek Singh, polling will be held for six seats of Nazim, one of Naib Nazim, 10 of general councillors, 15 of women general councillors, three of labour councillors, 13 of women labour councillors and 11 of minority councillors.

TMA: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (Saddar) has allegedly fleeced hundreds of thousands of rupees from traders and vendors who have set up stalls at Dijkot Mela, some 25 kilometres from here.