According to the Dawn, it was estimated that the national exchequer will have to bear the cost of millions of rupees in order to conduct bypolls again…reports Asian Lite News
The announcement by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that he will contest elections on all nine Assembly seats has sparked furore and concerns across the nation as the already crippling economic situation of the country could be exacerbated if the PTI chief wins all the seats by any chance.
Following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s announcement to hold by polls in nine Assembly seats which fell vacant after the National Assembly Speaker accepted the resignation of 11 MNAs of PTI, Imran Khan announced his candidature in all nine seats.
But it should be noted that if the PTI chief wins elections from all nine constituencies then he will have to choose one out of the nine, which will lead the Assembly to conduct the polls once again. The ensuing political instability and rising popularity of Imran Khan could have disastrous consequences for the country’s faltering economy.
According to the Dawn, it was estimated that the national exchequer will have to bear the cost of millions of rupees in order to conduct bypolls again.
The minimum expenditure incurred in an election in one constituency is around Rs 50-100 million, while in sensitive and far-flung areas the cost is approximately around Rs 100 million, sources said.
Sources added that in order to conduct elections in nine constituencies, it is estimated that Rs 500-900 million will be needed as expenses include printing and purchase of material used such as ballot papers, forms, bags, etc.
Moreover, the additional expenses are also incurred on security from rangers and police officials, deployment of army, training of election staff, IT equipment, and transport and fuel.
Consequently, if Khan wins the elections, in any case, bypolls will once again be held in all nine constituencies which will lead to an expenditure of nearly Rs 500-900 million.
This comes as a challenge for Pakistan as the country already is grappling under the economic crisis.
It is pertinent to note here that Imran Khan is already a member of the National Assembly as he won 2018 general elections from Mianwali.
In 2018, Khan contested from five constituencies and won all five. He managed to bag every single seat he contested on, which included, NA-53 Islamabad, NA-35 Bannu, NA-243 Karachi, NA-95 Mianwali, and NA-131 Lahore.
Ultimately, he had to vacant four seats and decided to retain the Mianwali constituency. (ANI)
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