KARACHI, JUL 09 (DNA) – Polling for by-elections in Karachi’s PS-114 constituency is underway with strict security measures in place.

The polling began at 8am and will continue till 5pm. A lesser number of voters arrived at the polling stations.

Only the polling staff is present at the stations however; the process commenced with a delay as the candidates’ polling agents reached late.

Strict security arrangement has been made on the occasion as 2000 Rangers personnel and 1250 policemen have been deployed outside and inside the polling stations whereas they are also conducting patrols in the area.

At least 21 candidates are contesting the by-poll including Pakistan Peoples Party’s Senator Saeed Ghani, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan’s Kamran Tesori, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Engineer Najeeb Haroon, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Zahoor Ahmed Jadoon and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Ali Akbar Gujjar.

Section-144 has been imposed in the surrounding areas of the polling stations.

At least 1,93,800 voters including more than 86,000 females and 1,12,000 males will participate in the elections for which 92 polling stations have been formed. Among these 33 have been declared highly sensitive and 59 as sensitive.