ISLAMABAD: A total of 1,688 candidates will contest for sixteen National and fifty-one Provincial Assembly general seats from the province of Balochistan in general elections scheduled on 8 February.
Notable figures in the lineup of candidates comprise Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who heads Jamiat Ulema e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Akhtar Mengal, former Chief Ministers Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Jam Kamal Khan, Dr. Abdul Malik, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari, Khalid Magsi, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar, and others.
In the National Assembly Constituency NA-261, a big competition is underway featuring Balochistan National Party (BNP) Chief Akhtar Jan Mengal, former Deputy Chairman Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haidari, and former Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri.
The province has a total of 5.37 million registered voters, including 3.02 million men and 2.35 million women.
Apart from the provincial capital Quetta, Pishin, and Khuzdar, NA seat NA-251 covers multiple districts, including Shirani, Zhob, and Qila Saifullah, with seventeen candidates vying for victory.
In NA-252, the constituency includes the districts of Barkhan, Musa Khel, Loralai, and Dikki. Thirty-five candidates, including two seasoned politicians, Sardar Yakub Khan Nasir, and Mir Baz Muhammad Khetran, are competing in this area. NA-253 encompasses Harnai, Kohlu, Sibi, and Dera Bugti.
In Dera Bugti, around thirty candidates, including Nawabzada Shazin Bugti and Dostin Domki, are in the electoral race. Shifting the focus to NA-254 covers Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, and Nasirabad, with twenty-seven candidates, including Yar Muhammad Rand, Khalid Magsi, and Humayun Aziz Kurd, competing for victory.
Other Constituencies in Balochistan
In NA-255, which encompasses Jafarabad, Sohbatpur, Aosta Muhammad, and Naseerabad, a total of forty-six candidates, including Mir Chingiz Khan Jamali and Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, are participating in the election.
In NA-256, spanning Khuzdar, fifteen candidates, including Akhtar Jan Mengal, seek success. Moving to NA-257, covering Hub, Lasbela, and Awaran, eighteen candidates, including Jam Kamal and Aslam Bhutani, are in the contest. Likewise, in NA-258, encompassing Panjgur and Kech, eighteen candidates are vying for victory.
In NA-259, covering Kech and Gwadar, twenty candidates, including Dr. Abdul Malik and Kahida Babar, are in contention. Moving to NA-260, spanning Nushki, Kharan, Chagai, and Washik, twenty-five candidates are competing. In NA-261, twenty-seven candidates are vying for success.
