Multan to witness another by-election for NA-157 next month

ISLAMABAD: Multan is set to experience yet another fierce contest for the seat of NA-157 Multan-IV next month on account of vacation of the seat by Zain Qureshi, who was elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly on Sunday.

The seat is bound to be declared as vacant and it is likely that the election for the seat would take place in August. The ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a political alliance, and the PTI would contest the poll.

The relevant article and clauses of the Constitution about the vacation of the seat read: “Bar against double membership 223. (1) No person shall, at the same time, be a member of—(a) both Houses; or (b) a House and a provincial assembly; or (c) the assemblies of two or more provinces; or (d) a House or a provincial assembly in respect of more than one seat. (2) nothing in clause (1) shall prevent a person from being a candidate for two or more seats at the same time, whether in the same body or in different bodies, but if he is elected to more than one seat he shall, within a period of 30 days after the declaration of the result for the last such seat, resign all but one of his seats, and if he does not so resign, all the seats to which he has been elected shall become vacant at the expiration of the said period of 30 days except the seat to which he has been elected last or, if he has been elected to more than one seat on the same day, the seat for election to which his nomination was filed last.

Explanation.—In this clause, “body” means either House or a provincial assembly. (3) A person to whom clause (2) applies shall not take a seat in either House or the provincial assembly, to which he has been elected until he has resigned all but one of his seats. (4) Subject to clause (2) if a member of either House or of a provincial assembly becomes a candidate for a second seat which, in accordance with clause (1), he may not hold concurrently with his first seat, then his first seat shall become vacant as soon as he is elected to the second seat. Election and bye-election (4) When, except by dissolution of the National Assembly or a provincial assembly, a general seat in any such assembly has become vacant not later than one hundred and twenty days before the term of that assembly is due to expire, an election to fill the seat shall be held within sixty days from the occurrence of the vacancy.

The parliamentary sources told The News on Monday that Zain Qureshi had resigned along with the PTI members from the National Assembly and like others, his resignation had not been accepted by Speaker of the National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.