KARACHI: The polling for by-election in National Assembly constituency NA-213 began on Thursday.

The polling has started at 8 am and will continue without any interruption until 5 pm for NA-213 Umerkot.

There are a total of 18 candidates in the constituency, with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)  candidate Saba Talpur and Grand Democratic Alliance(GDA) -backed candidate Lal Chand Malhi in the by -elections.

NA -213 Umerkot’s seat was vacated after the death of PPP leader Nawab Yousaf Talpur, the total number of polling stations in the constituency is 498, of which 269 have been declared sensitive and 91 have been declared very sensitive.

The Umerkot district has been declared a holiday, allowing residents to cast their votes without work-related distractions.

Earlier, late Nawab Yousaf Talpur had secured a commanding victory in the 2024 general elections, garnering 175,162 votes. His nearest rival, Mir Amanullah Talpur of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), trailed with 44,061 votes.

Land Chand Malhi, despite his strong showing, managed third place with 37,958 votes. The results of this by-election will be seen as a referendum on the political dynamics in the region.