Islamabad (Web Desk): Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced that the delimitation of constituencies will be completed by November 30 instead of December 14.
According to a press release issued by the ECP, the duration of the delimitation has been reduced to ensure that the general elections are held as early as possible.
The ECP added that the date for the polls would be announced once the constituency delimitation process was completed.
On Thursday the electoral body stated said that the general elections would be held by mid-February or by end of January if the delimitation process is completed earlier.
The ECP has been holding consultations with various parties on the electoral roadmap in recent days.
The consultations are being held against the backdrop of the ECP ruling out elections this year, while the 90-day limit for holding polls, mandated under Article 224 of the Constitution, ends on November 9.
The electoral watchdog held meeting with political parties including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and others.
In the meetings, the JUI-F, PML-N and MQM-P had backed the ECP stance to hold general elections after the delimitation while the PTI and PPP had urged the electoral body to drop the process and conduct polls within 90 days.
On August 17, the ECP announced the schedule of new delimitations to be carried out as per the new census approved by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) last month.