BAHAWALPUR, Sept 3 The stage is set for the NA-184 (Bahawalpur-II) by-elections on Saturday (today) and a tough contest is expected between PPP's Khadeeja Aamir Warran and PML-N's Mian Najeebuddin Owaisi.

Ten other candidates, including former SSP activist Rao Javed Iqbal, are contesting the by-polls. The seat fell vacant after Aamir Yar Warran resigned to avoid an adverse Supreme Court ruling allegedly for possessing a fake graduation degree.

The PML-N held a big public meeting in Mubarikpur, about 40 kilometres away from here, on Thursday night which was addressed by CM's senior adviser Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, MNA Hamza Shahbaz and provincial ministers Abdul Ghafoor and Malik Iqbal Channar.

Hamza was given a VVIP protocol by the police and the civil administration. He arrived here from Islamabad by a special plane late in the evening.

The Election Commission transferred Returning Officer Sajjad Ahmad on Friday evening but soon withdrew the order.

According to District Returning Officer Chaudhry Akhtaruz Zaman, it was purely an administrative matter and no political pressure was involved.

POLLING MATERIAL The district returning officer and returning officer on Friday handed over polling material to presiding officers of 226 polling stations.

The presiding officers and polling staff were later taken to their destinations on vehicles specially arranged by the administration.

As many as 31 polling stations have been declared sensitive where Rangers will be deployed.

ELECTIONEERING PPP candidate Khadeeja Aamir has not hel any cornor meeting.

If one takes a round of her constituency, he or she won't be able to trace even a single poster or banner bearing her name or photograph.

She is stated to be a housewife confining herself mainly to domestic affairs.

BoGs The Punjab government, through a notification, has nominated unofficial members of the Board of Governors (BoGs) of two local government colleges.

Members of B0Gs of the Government Sadiq Egerton College (SE College), Bahawalpur, are A Majeed Gill (Dawn), Prof Muzaffar Ali Zafar (retired), Prof M Mushtaq Shaheen, principal of the Government Degree College, Khairpur Tamewali, Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, president of the Pesticides Association and Farooq Khan of NGO (Cholistan Development Council).

While members of BoGs of the Government Sadiq Degree College for Women, Bahawalpur, are Prof Attaullah Awan (retired), Dr Rana M. Tariq, former president of the Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Nusrat Waheed, Dr Bushra Sher Zaman and Mrs Naveed Gardezi.

The Punjab education minister will be the chairman while the respective divisional commissioners will be the vice-chairmen of their BoGs.

Other official members will include secretaries higher education, finance, VCs concerned or their nominees, directors education, DCOs and one member of the faculty to be nominated by the board of governors.