The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disclosed comprehensive statistics on the 2024 general elections, revealing that 6,449 candidates – 6,094 male and 355 female – had their nomination papers approved for National Assembly seats across Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad Capital Territory.
Conversely, 1,024 candidates, comprising 934 men and 90 women, faced rejection by returning officers for NA seats, out of a total of 7,473 candidates, which included 445 women.
For the four provincial assemblies, the ECP-appointed returning officers greenlit 16,262 nomination papers from 18,478 candidates (17,670 male and 808 female).
However, 2,216 candidates, including 2,081 men and 135 women, had their papers disapproved by ROs for provincial assemblies.
In aggregate, 22,711 nomination papers for NA and provincial assemblies’ general seats gained approval, with 21,684 men and 1,027 women.
Notably, 3,240 nomination papers faced repudiation by ROs for both national and provincial assemblies, affecting 3,015 male candidates and 225 females.
During the five-day scrutiny period starting December 25, prominent figures like PTI’s Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi experienced setbacks with the rejection of their nomination papers.
Conversely, PML-N and PPP witnessed success as leaders like Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif, and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari secured ECP’s approval.
Candidates with rejected papers can appeal the decision until January 3, with the ECP’s Appellate Tribunal set to decide on appeals by January 10, followed by the revised candidate list’s publication on January 11.
