BAHAWALPUR: As many as 24 candidates filed their nomination papers with their respective returning officers (ROs) to contest by-election on two Punjab Assembly seats in Lodhran district.

District Returning Officer (DRO) Ibrar Jatoi told Dawn by cell phone that 15 candidates filed their nomination papers to contest from PP-224, Lodhran-1 and nine from PP-224, PP-228, Lodhran-5.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had declared the two PA seats of Lodhran district vacant after Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf MPAs Zawar Hussain Wariach and Nazir Khan Baloch belonging to Jahangir Tareen Group had defected and voted for Hamza Shehbaz in the Punjab chief minister`s election last month.

The DRO said with the completion of the first phase of electioneering for the byelection, the second phase of the scrutiny of the nomination papers would start on Wednesday.

The scrutiny of the papers will continue till June 11.

The polling is scheduled for July 17. Correspondent