Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz has started election campaign of NA-120 by-election which is scheduled to be held on September 17. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told the media after a consultative session of the PML-N leaders at Raiwind on Saturday that Maryam Nawaz also chaired a meeting of the PML-N activists from PP-140 to share her views with party workers about strategy for NA-120 by-election.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Federal Minister Pervaiz Malik, former information minister Pervaiz Rashid, MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik, Provincial Minister Bilal Yasin, Khawaja Ahmed Hassan, Waheed Gull and Kiran Dar. It was decided that Maryam would address public gatherings and deliver party message to the people of constituency after disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, the sources said.
PML-N candidate Kulsoom Nawaz, after being diagnosed with cancer, is unable to participate in the campaign and is undergoing treatment in London. Moreover, the Election Commission of Pakistan has issued final list of candidates contesting for the upcoming NA-120 bye-polls in Lahore.
According to Returning Officer Mohammad Shahid, the election symbols have been allotted to the candidates. He added that total 44 candidates will contest for the NA-120. A total of 220 polling stations and 573 polling booths would be established for the bye-poll.
The process of training of returning officers, presiding officers and polling staff will start from September 6. The Chief Election Commissioner has already announced that the ECP would be using, as a test case, biometric machines in the NA-120 by-polls. There are 321,786 registered voters in the constituency.