Bill moved in NA against contesting on multiple seats.

ISLAMABAD -- An opposition member introduced a private member's bill in the National Assembly on Thursday, seeking a ban on a candidate if he or she contests elections on more than two seats simultaneously.

The bill was tabled as lawmakers continued assailing the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for its ongoing protests, urging the federal government to deal with the situation as per the Constitution.

The bill seeking an amendment to Article 223 of the Constitution, which allows any person to contest election on multiple seats, was tabled by Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, the lone member of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI). Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf referred the bill to the relevant house committee after the government supported the move.

'Anything contained in clause (1) shall not prevent any person from being a candidate for maximum two seats either in one assembly or two assemblies at the same time,' reads the proposed amendment.

JI's Chitrali moves amendment, PTI leadership lambasted for tirade against state institutions

The proposed amendment suggests that in case of winning both seats, the candidate will have to vacate one seat within 30 days.

While tabling the bill, Maulana Chitrali argued that at present the Constitution allowed citizens to contest elections in multiple constituencies whereas after winning the elections, he or she could retain only one seat.

The JI member said that according to a report, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) spent Rs20.7 million for conducting the election in one constituency.

He said due to unprecedented inflation over the past few years, it was estimated that the ECP would be requiring Rs46 billion for the next national and provincial elections and if this amount was divided into 272 National Assembly constituencies, then the expenditure on one constituency would be around Rs100.6m.

'It is unimaginable that a candidate contests elections on eight seats simultaneously and later retains only one,' said Mr Chitrali without naming PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who last month contested by-elections on seven seats simultaneously and won all of them, except the one from Karachi.

'It is a grave injustice with voters as well as great loss to the national kitty and the country,' he said.

Earlier, at the outset, a PTI dissident and Opposition Leader Raja Riaz Ahmad drew the attention of the house to the...