Pakistani election authorities finalise list of candidates

Islamabad, Dec 17 (UNI) Pakistani electoral authorities have finalised the list of candidates contesting the January 8 general elections for the national and provincial assemblies.

''One thousand and thirty seven candidates are contesting 150 National Assembly seats from Punjab and Islamabad,'' an Election Commission official said here.

For 297 Punjab Assembly seats, 2,311 candidates are in the field.

Six hundred and twenty seven candidates will contest the 61 National Assembly seats from Sindh province.

One thousand four hundred sixty eight candidates are in the field for the 130 general seats of Sindh Assembly. Thirty six candidates are contesting the 14 special seats reserved for women in the National Assembly.

For 29 seats reserved for women in the Sindh provincial Assembly, 83 candidates and on the nine minority seats, 31 candidates would contest the elections.

In the NWFP, 262 candidates are in the field to contest the election for National Assembly seats.

To contest provincial assembly seats, 763 candidates are in the field, while 183 candidates would contest National Assembly constituencies from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

From Balochistan province, 142 candidates are in the field for 14 National Assembly seats. Five hundred and forty one candidates will contest for 51 provincial assembly seats.

Meanwhile, a list of 36 candidates for ten reserved seats for minorities in the National Assembly has been issued.

UNI