ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday announced November 23 as the new date for by-elections in three constituencies of Punjab — two for the National Assembly and one for the provincial assembly — after earlier postponements due to flood-related disruptions.
According to the ECP notification, the affected constituencies are NA-129 (Lahore), NA-65 (Wazirabad), and PP-87 (Mianwali). The Lahore seat is considered politically significant as it represents the hometown of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while Mianwali is the stronghold of former prime minister Imran Khan.
According to the schedule announced by the ECP, elections for the general seats in the urban union councils of Quetta district will be held on Dec 28.https://t.co/9RlXoRZ33C
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) November 4, 2025
The by-elections were originally scheduled for September 18 under a programme announced on July 29. However, the ECP postponed them citing adverse conditions in Punjab following floods that damaged infrastructure, displaced voters, and limited the availability of polling staff and security personnel.
In its earlier order issued on September 4, the Commission said elections could not be held “with the optimum level of security” as required under Article 218(3) of the Constitution. It invoked Section 58 of the Elections Act, 2017, to defer the schedule until the situation normalised.
The Lahore seat fell vacant after the death of former Punjab governor Mian Azhar. The Wazirabad and Mianwali seats were vacated due to the disqualification of MNA Ahmad Chatta and MPA Ahmad Khan, respectively.
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The upcoming polls are expected to be closely watched, given the political weight of both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the province. Election observers say the contests will also serve as an early test of voter sentiment ahead of possible general elections next year.
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