Record 28,686 candidates file nomination papers for 2024 elections

ISLAMABAD: The upcoming general election 2024 in Pakistan has attracted a record number of candidates with 28,686 aspirants filing their nomination papers for 859 seats in the national and provincial assemblies.

This is a 33 per cent increase from the 2018 general election, when 21,425 candidates had submitted their papers. In 2013, the number of candidates was 27,998.

According to the data obtained by the Hum Investigation Team (HIT), 471 women have submitted papers for the 272 general seats in the National Assembly, while 802 women have submitted their nomination papers for the 593 general seats in the four provincial assemblies. A total of 18,546 candidates are vying for the general seats across the country.

For the reserved seats, 459 women have applied for the 60 seats allocated for women in the National Assembly, and 1,365 women have applied for the 132 seats reserved for women in the provincial assemblies.

2024 elections: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi virtually pulls out of electoral politics

For the minorities, 150 candidates have submitted their nomination papers for the 10 seats in the National Assembly, and 392 candidates have applied for the 24 seats in the provincial assemblies.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has received the preliminary information from the relevant officials of 41 districts, which shows that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has the highest number of candidates, with 2,434 candidates filing their papers for the general seats.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is the second largest party, with 2,134 candidates vying for elections. The Pakistan People’s Party has 1,651 candidates in the fray, and Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) has 1,478 candidates.

The final list of candidates will be announced after the scrutiny of the nomination papers, which will start from December 26 and continue till December 30. The general election is scheduled to be held on February 8, 2024.