After the deadline for independent candidates to join political parties passed on Thursday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) initiated decisive action to ensure adherence to constitutional requirements regarding the occupancy of seats by winning candidates.
The commission took notice of the candidates who have won in more than one constituency and issued them notifications to declare their preferred seat promptly.
"According to the Constitution and law, a candidate can hold only one seat," the ECP stressed, directing that the winning candidates who were successful in more than one seat should inform the commission about their preferred constituency.
Among those summoned by the election commission to specify their seat preference are prominent political figures Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif, along with several others. The commission has emphasized that according to constitutional provisions, an individual can only occupy a single parliamentary seat.
It further said that by-elections will be held on vacant seats after the details of the preferred seats have been compiled.
Moreover, in the event that successful candidates fail to communicate their preferred seat, the election commission will proceed to issue notifications regarding their last won constituency. This measure aims to streamline parliamentary representation and uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
Meanwhile, PTI-backed independent candidates, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub, Ali Amin Gandapur and Ali Asghar Khan have opted not to join the Sunni Ittehad Council, probably because they intend to contest the upcoming intra-party polls of the PTI.
However, the Sunni Unity Council has seen the significant joining of 86 newly elected independent candidates from the National Assembly. Additionally, eight successful independent candidates have joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), while two have remained unaffiliated with any party.
Interestingly, the election commission has yet to issue notifications for five successful independent members of the National Assembly (MNAs) out of a total of 101. This delay underscores the meticulous scrutiny and procedural diligence undertaken by the commission to ensure accurate representation within the parliamentary landscape.
