Karachi's NA 249: Public holiday announced during by-election

A public holiday will be observed in Karachi's NA-249 constituency on account of the April 29 by-election, a notification from the Deputy Commissioner District West  said Tuesday.

 "The District Administration, Karachi-West is pleased, to declare 29 April 2021 (Thursday) as a Public Holiday in connection with the By-Election in NA-249 Karachi West-II in the territorial jurisdiction of Sub-Division Mominabad," Deputy Commissioner District West Saleem Odho said in a notification.

About NA-249

NA-249 has a population of 782,776 of which only 339,591, which means over 43%, are registered to vote. There are 216,056 male voters in the area, while the number of female voters is 137,935.

Some well-known areas in the constituency include Delhi Colony, Mujahid Colony, Baldia, and Saeedabad, while the prominent ethnic groups in this working-class neighbourhood comprise Urdu-speaking people, Pashtuns, Kashmiris, and the Seraiki-speaking lot.

Who was named favourite leader ahead of by-polls?

Ahead of the April 29 by-elections, Prime Minister Imran Khan has been named by voters of Karachi’s NA-249 constituency as their favourite political leader, maintaining an edge over PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif.

In two out of three polls conducted, PM Imran Khan was named as the favourite, while in the third, Nawaz Sharif was declared the most popular.

Ipsos, Pulse Consultant, and Gallup Pakistan released survey findings based on the opinion of 1,200 to 1,400 registered voters of the constituency.

All three surveys took place between April 10 and April 20, 2021.