The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued the schedule for the by-election in PS-30 Khairpur-V, a constituency of the Sindh Provincial Assembly, on Thursday, July 2, 2026. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of Mr. Naeem Ahmed Kharal, the sitting Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA). Mr. Kharal was elected from the constituency in the 2024 General Elections, securing approximately 57,000 votes, representing 59 percent of the total votes cast.
When will polling take place?
As per the notification issued on July 02, 2026, the polling will take place on August 16, 2026. The electoral process will start with public notice by the Returning Officers on July 6, 2026, inviting nominations. The nomination papers can be submitted between July 08 and 10. The list of nominated candidates (Form-31) will be displayed on July 11 while the scrutiny of nomination papers will end on July 16, 2026. After decisions on the appeals against the RO’s scrutiny orders, if any, the revised list of the contesting candidates (Form-33) will be published on July 28. The contesting candidates may withdraw until 29 July, and election symbols will be allotted on July 30.
Will this be the first by-election of 2026?
During the year, four by-elections were announced for NA-256 Khuzdar, PP-83 Khushab-III, PP-167 Lahore-XXIII, and PP-289 Dera Ghazi Khan-IV. Polling for PP-289 Dera Ghazi Khan-IV was scheduled for January 25, 2026. However, Usama Abdul Karim of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was declared elected unopposed on January 9, 2026. Similarly, polling for PP-167 Lahore-XXIII was scheduled for February 4, 2026, but Malik Mohammad Shafi of PML-N was also declared elected unopposed on January 20, 2026.
Likewise, polling for PP-83 Khushab-III was scheduled for June 7, 2026. However, as in the other two Punjab constituencies, the by-election was declared uncontested, and Zafar Abbas Khan of PML-N was elected unopposed on May 21, 2026. Consequently, all three Punjab Assembly seats were filled without polling.
In contrast, the by-election for NA-256 Khuzdar was scheduled for April 5, 2026. However, on March 27, 2026, the Election Commission of Pakistan postponed the poll at the request of the Government of Balochistan, citing the prevailing security situation in the district. As a result, the National Assembly seat from the constituency remained vacant since the resignation of the Sardar Akhtar Mengal of Balochistan National Party Mengal (BNP-Mengal).
