GILGIT, Oct 9: All official leaves and vacations have been cancelled to ensure their presence during elections for the legislative council and local bodies.

Officials said that over 1,000 officials had been appointed as polling officers to conduct elections in 24 constituencies and an equal number of their assistants had also been directed to reach for the election duty.

They said they had asked officials to ensure 24-hour presence during the election besides effectively monitoring the control rooms in all the five districts of the Northern Areas.

Sources said that they had arranged task-oriented workshops for polling officers at district and tehsil levels, adding that supporting material would also be provided to them.

Officials said that they had made elaborate security arrangements at the polling stations, adding that personnel of police and the Frontier Constabulary would be deployed before the commencement of the elections. Over 500 vehicles had also been made available to ensure transportation of ballot boxes from remote areas.

The polling for Northern Areas Legislative Council will be held on Oct 12 and for local bodies on Oct 13.

According to the election commission, a total of 125 candidates, including 66 independents, are in the run for 24 seats. And over 570,000 voters are expected to cast their votes.

The election campaign is in full swing as the polling draws closer. Public rallies and meetings are being organized by different political parties and independent candidates.

Leaders of various political parties including Pakistan Muslim League (PML) are visiting the area for canvassing for their respective candidates.