KARACHI: As many as 581 candidates are in the run on 22 National Assembly seats in Karachi after passing the last day of withdrawal of nomination papers for the Feb 8 general elections.

Leaders and workers of various political and religious parties as well as those willing to contest the Feb 8 elections as independent candidates have already launched their election campaign from the city`s seven districts South, East, West, Central, Malir, Korangi and Keamari.

This time, a majority of the aspirants include independent candidates because thereturning officers categorised the candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf as `independent` ones in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court that took bacl< the party`s iconic poll symbol `bat`.

Of the 581 candidates, the highest number of candidates, 120, are in the run for four NA seats in district East, followed by 113 vying for five NA seats in district Central, 87 on three NA seats in Korangi, 76 on three seats of district South, 72 on three NA seats in district West, 65 in the run on three NA seats in district Malir and 48 candidates are contesting elections on two NA seats in district Keamari.

Prominent candidates in district MalirKarachi`s first constituency is NA-229 and besides several other aspirants prominent candidates are Jam Abdul Karim Bijar of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P`s) Fouzia Hameed, PML-N`s Qadir Bux and Jamaat-i-Islami`s Mumtaz Hussain.

In NA-230, PPP`s Syed Rafiulalh, PML-N`s Muzaffar Ali Shajra, Dr Masroor Sial of the PTI, Aurangzeb Farooqui of Pakistan Rah-iHaq Party and others are in the field.

In NA-231, Abdul Hakeem Baloch of PPP, Jameel Ahmed Khan of PML-N, Dr Masroor Sial and Umer Farooq of the JI are among the candidates.

District Korangi From NA-232, MQM-P`s Aasia Ishaq, JI`s Taufeeq Siddiqui are prominent among many candidates.

MQM-P Javed Hanif, JI`s Abdul Jameel Khan and other are contesting elections on NA-233.

PML-N`s Saleem Zia, Moin Amer Pirzada of the MQM-P, former PTI`s MNA Faheem Khan, PPP`e Ali Rashid and other arc vying for NA-234.

District East JI`s Meraj-ul-Hud2 Siddiqui, MQM-P`± Mohammad Iqbal Khan, for mer PTI MNA Saif-ur Rahman and many other are candidates on NA-235.

PTI leader Syed Firdou Shamim Naqvi, MQM-P Hassan Sabir, JI`s Osam2 Razi, PPP`s Muzammi Qureshi are among the con testants on NA-236.

MQM-P`s Rauf Siddiqui i in the run on NA-237 againsi JI`s Irfan Ahmed, PPP`Asad Niazi and PTI`s Zahoor Mehsud.

PTI`s provincial chief Haleem Adil Sheilch is contesting from NA-238, now as an independent candidate against MQM-P`s Sadiq Iftikhar and Saifuddin of the JI and others.

District South From NA-239, Nabil Gabol of the PPP, Fazal-ur-Rehman Niazi of the JI and others are contenting.

Dr Arshad Vohra of the MQM-P, PPP`s Saleem Mandviwalla, Syed Abdul Rasheed of the JI, Haleem Adil Sheikh`s brother Aleem Adil and several others are in the run from NA-240.

Dr Farooq Sattar of theMQM-P is also in run from NA-241 against Mirza Ikhtiar Baig of the PPP, PTI`s Karachi president Khurram Sher Zaman and others.

District West Syed Mustafa Kamal of the MQM-P is running for NA-242 against PPP`s Qadir Mandokhall, Khawaja Shoaib of the PML-N, Fazal Ahad of the JI and others.

At NA-243, Abdul Qadir Patel of the PPP, PML-N`s Akhtar Jadoon, Shiraz Jadoon of the JI, Humayun Sultan of the MQM-P and PTI`s Shujaat Ali Khan are contesting the polls.

At NA-244, MQM-P`s Dr Farooq Sattar, former PTIMNA Aftab Jahangir, JI`s Irfan Ahmed and others are in the field.

From NA-245, former PTI MNA Attaullah, MQM-P`s Syed Hafeezuddin, PPP`s Siddique Akbar and Ishaq Khan of the JI are in the run.

District Central City chief of the JI Hafiz Naeemur Rehman is contesting from NA-246 against MQM-P`s Syed Amin-ul-Haq and others.

MQM-P`s Khawaja Izharul-Hassan is in the run from NA-247 against Monem Zafar Khan of the JI, Naheed Parveen of the PML-N, PPPP`s Sheikh Maaz Feroz and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan`sMohammad Farooq.

MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui is contesting from NA-248 against JPs Mohammad Babar Khan, Mohammad Hassan Khan of PPP, Arsalan Khalid of the PTI and many others.

JPs Muslim Pervez is in the run against MQM-P`s Ahmed Saleem Siddiqui, TLP`s Hafiz Hamid Mehmood Kagani, Syed Ansub Raza Patmi of PML-N and PPP`s Abdul Waheed from NA-249.

NA-250 is the last constituency of Karachi from where JPs Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem, MQM-P`s Farhan Chishti and PPP`s Khwaja Sohail Mansoor are among several candidates.