Islamabad, As Pakistan gears up for its general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024, the political landscape is witnessing a surge in electioneering activities. Political parties and candidates are actively engaging in public gatherings and meetings across various cities to garner voter support.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, major political parties are holding significant events, with PML (N) hosting a public meeting in Rawalpindi today, featuring an address by its President Shehbaz Sharif. Similarly, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is set to address a gathering in Peshawar. Alongside these large-scale events, candidates are also conducting corner meetings to directly interact with voters.

The elections will see a total of 5121 candidates vying for the National Assembly seats, including 4807 males, 312 females, and two transgender candidates. In the race for seats in the four provincial assemblies, there are 12695 candidates, comprising 12123 males, 570 females, and two transgender individuals. The elections are to be contested for 266 general seats of the National Assembly and 593 general seats in the four provincial assemblies.

In Punjab, the election commission has mobilized monitoring teams to enforce the electoral code of conduct. Recent actions include penalties imposed by the District Monitoring Officer of Gujrat on several PPP candidates for code violations. Fines have been levied on PPP candidates Qaisra Elahi, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir, Samira Elahi, and Rana Faraz Ahmed Noon for various infractions, including the unauthorized display of election materials.

This heightened phase of election campaigning is marked by strict adherence to the electoral code of conduct, as evidenced by the actions of District Monitoring Officers in Gujrat, Nankana Sahib, and Mandi Bahauddin, who have issued notices and warnings to various candidates for code violations.

As the election date approaches, the political atmosphere in Pakistan continues to intensify, with parties and candidates ramping up their efforts to sway the electorate.