SAHIWAL/GUJRANWALA: Around 1,370 polling personnel, including 574 women and 796 men, have been deputed at 185 polling stations for the by-election in PP-203 (Sahiwal-VI), tehsil Chichawatni.
Of the total polling staff, 54 women have been appointed as presiding officers at female and combined polling stations.
Returning Officer Khudad Tarar told Dawn by phone that all election material had been handed over to the polling staff by Saturday afternoon and the personnel had departed for their respective destinations along with police and other security officials.
He said the administration had arranged 185 vehicles to transport polling staff, while special arrangements had been made for their accommodation at polling stations in far-flung rural areas. Around a dozen vehicles had also been stationed at the returning officer’s office to deal with any emergency.
District Police Officer Usman Tipu said 1,100 personnel had been deployed to ensure security during the by-eleetion.
A total of 185 polling stations have been established in the constituency, including 11 in Category A, 37 in Category B and 137 in Category C.
The police deployment will include 150 female officers, while Elite Force squads will conduct regular patrols in and around polling stations. The Anti-Riot Force and seven police reserve units will remain on standby to deal with any emergency. Rangers personnel will also be kept in reserve to meet any eventuality.
A comprehensive traffic management plan has also been devised, with more than 65 personnel assigned duties.
Polling for the Gujranwala NA-77 by-election is also scheduled for Nov 8 (today) on the seat vacated by PML-N MNA and former federal minister Chaudhry Mehmood Basheer Virk, who died in September.
The PML-N has fielded Rashid Basheer Virk, son of the late MNA, for the by-election, while the opposition parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), have not opted for the election. Dawn Report