Polling for the election on the vacant seat of Islamabad’s mayor began on Monday with both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vying for the slot.

The election is being held after PML-N’s Sheikh Anser Aziz resigned in October. PTI's candidate for the mayor, Malik Sajid Mahmood cast his vote which began on 9pm and will continue till 5pm on the premises of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) in G-6.

PML-N has fielded Pir Adil Gillani who is chairman of Bari Imam Union Council. Talking to DAWN Gillani said he was confident that he would comfortably win the election. "The PTI has failed to deliver, so I will motivate the people of Islamabad to join the PDM protest rally,” Gillani said.

Meanwhile, independent candidate Azhar Mahmood is also contesting the election. The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued a list of 73 voters who will elect the new mayor. The commission has ruled that deputy mayors could not contest the mayor’s election. The upcoming mayor will be elected for the next two months.