KARACHI, Oct 11: Nomination papers of all candidates filed for by-elections being held on two vacant seats in the National Assembly and Sindh Assembly — NA-245 District Central Karachi and PA-21 Naushahro Feroze — have been accepted by the election commission after scrutiny.

The seats became vacant after MNA Dr Farhat Mehmood Khan of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and MPA Dr Ahmad Ali Shah of the Pakistan People’s Party were disqualified by the Supreme Court for possessing dual nationality.

Three candidates, all from the MQM, had filed their nomination papers for NA-245.

Since there are no candidates from any other party, analysts believe that any one of the candidates to get an MQM ticket would be elected unopposed after the other two withdraw from the byelection.

The case is, however, different for PA-21, for which a total of 19 candidates filed their nomination papers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Six candidates are from the PPP, six are independent, two are from PPP-Shaheed Bhutto, two from the National People’s Party and one each from Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Samiul Haq and Fazlur Rehman groups, and none is likely to drop out of the race.

The appeals against acceptance of nominations can be filed on Friday and Saturday and they will be decided by October 15 while the by-election is scheduled for November 17.

According to the election commission, the elections will be held according to the newly-prepared electoral lists which have already been dispatched by Nadra to the returning officers in constituencies concerned.

The contesting candidates are allowed to hold public meetings at specific places notified by the authorities but are not allowed to organize rallies anywhere in the constituency.—Staff Reporter