ISLAMABAD  -  A total of 1,688 candidates will con­test for 16 National and 51 Provin­cial Assembly general seats from the province of Balochistan on February 8. Notable figures in the lineup of can­didates comprise Maulana Fazlur Rah­man, who heads Jamiat Ulema e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Akhtar Mengal, former Chief Ministers Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Jam Kamal Khan, Dr. Abdul Malik and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari, Sar­dar Yaqoob Khan Nasar, Khalid Magsi, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, and others.

In the National Assembly Constitu­ency NA-261, a major competition is underway featuring Balochistan National Party Chief Akhtar Jan Men­gal, former Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri, and former Deputy Chairman Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haidari. Ac­cording to the details available to APP, the province has a total of 5.37 million registered voters, including 3.02 million male voters and 2.35 million female voters. Apart from the provincial capital Quetta, Pishin, and Khuzdar, National Assembly seat NA-251 covers multiple districts, includ­ing Shirani, Zhob, and Qila Saifullah, with 17 candidates vying for victory.

In NA-252, the constituency in­cludes the districts of Musa Khel, Barkhan, Loralai, and Dikki. Thirty-five candidates, including two sea­soned politicians, Sardar Yakub Khan Nasir and Mir Baz Muhammad Khet­ran, are competing in this area. Mov­ing on to NA-253, it encompasses Harnai, Sibi, Kohlu, and Dera Bugti. In Dera Bugti, around 30 candidates, in­cluding Nawabzada Shazin Bugti and Dostin Domki, are in the electoral race. Shifting focus to NA-254, covers Jhal Magsi, Kachhi, and Nasirabad, with 27 candidates, including Khalid Magsi, Yar Muhammad Rand, and Humayun Aziz Kurd, competing for victory. In NA-255, which encompasses Sohbat­pur, Jafarabad, Aosta Muhammad, and Naseerabad, a total of 46 candidates, including Mir Chingiz Khan Jamali and Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, are par­ticipating in the electoral contest.

In NA-256, spanning Khuzdar, 15 candidates, including Akhtar Jan Mengal, seek success. Moving to NA-257, covering Hub, Lasbela, and Awaran, 18 candidates, including Jam Kamal and Aslam Bhutani, are in the contest. Similarly, in NA-258, encom­passing Panjgur and Kech, 18 can­didates are vying for victory. In NA-259, covering Kech and Gwadar, 20 candidates, including Dr. Abdul Malik and Kahida Babar, are in contention. Moving to NA-260, spanning Chagai, Nushki, Kharan, and Washik, 25 can­didates are competing. In NA-261, 27 candidates are vying for success. In NA-262, Quetta-I, 38 candidates are participating. In NA-263, which includes Quetta-II, 46 candidates, including Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Lashkari Raisani, are in the race. For NA-264, covering Quetta-III, 35 candidates, including Akhtar Mengal, Humayun Aziz Kurd, and Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani, are in fray.