LAHORE: As heavyweights from across the political spectrum continued to collect and submit their nomination papers in Punjab, a possibility of a number of interesting electoral contests emerged on Friday.

Chief among those who obtained nomination papers were PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PTI founder Imran Khan.

Mr Sharif`s nomination papers were collected by former PML-N MNA Bilal Yasin in the NA-130 constituency, who is also a covering candidate for the same seat His brother, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, has got papers for NA-123 and Punjab Assembly seats PP-158 and PP-164 from Lahore.

His papers have also been filed for NA-132, Kasur.

PPP chairperson Bilawal BhuttoZardari papers were filed for NA-128 in Lahore, where PML-N`s Khawaja Ahmed Hassaan and Jamaat-i-1slami`s Liaqat Baloch are among the other candidates.

Even though his eligibility to contest elections is still up in the air, PTI founder Imran Khan`s nomination papers were also filed for NA-89 in Mianwali.

Javed Iqbal, the father of PTI`s incarcerated social media activist Sanam Javed, also announced his daughter will be contesting the elections against Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, who will be a candidate from PP-150 in Lahore.

Mr Iqbal also collected papers for NA-123, PP-150, 158 and 164 on behalfofhis daughter.

Meanwhile, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) central information sec-retary Khurram Hameed Rokhari submitted his nominations for NA-89, where he will be up against Imran Khan, while PPP`s Nawab Amir Muhammad Khan and PMLN`s Ubaidullah Shadi Khel are also in the run for the same seat.

At the same time, IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan is looking to contest the elections from NA-147 Khanewal, and he is also likely to run for a National Assembly constituency in Lahore.

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has filed his nominations for NA-52 and his son Khurram Pervaiz for PP-8 from Gujar Khan.

Former chief minister and PTI president Parvez Elahi will be a candidate for NA-69, Mandi Bahauddin, and former defence minister Khawaja Asif from NA-71, Sialkot.

The latter has also submitted his nominations for two Punjab Assembly seats PP-46 and 47.

In Jhang, former interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, former federal minister Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana have all filed papers from NA-108.

Bharwana, Sultan and Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi will be the candidates in NA-109 and Sahibzada Amir Sultan among seven other hopefuls will run for NA-110.

PPP`s Nadeem Afzal Chan has collected papers for two National Assembly seats from Sargodha NA-82 and 86. PML-N`s Ataullah Tarar is hoping to contest for NA-77, Gujranwala.

Meanwhile, former PM Shahid Khagan Abbasi will not be contesting the elections from any platform, Dawn learned from sources close to the PML-N stalwart who has grown distant from the party in recent days.

Sources said that due to pressure from constituents, his son Nader will now be filing papers from the NA-51 constituency in Murree as an independent candidate.

Atika Rehman in London also contributed to this report