LAHORE: Polling for the NA-120 constituency commenced at 8am across 220 polling stations in the Punjab capital, with the majority seeing the by-election in ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's former constituency as a major test for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The by-election is being contested by Begum Kulsoom Nawaz of PML-N, Dr Yasmin Rashid of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Faisal Mir of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Advocate Ziauddin Ansari of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), among others.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has printed 350,000 ballot papers for the constituency's 324,786 registered voters.

All polling stations in the constituency have been declared sensitive by the ECP. Extra police and Rangers personnel are deployed across NA-120, with the Pakistan Army in support.

The army also provided security during the printing of ballot papers and was responsible for transporting the ballot boxes and other election material to the polling stations.

The polling will conclude at 5pm. 

LIVE UPDATES:

0845: Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin scolds policemen at a polling station for 'unnecessarily' creating issues with voters' documents, Geo News reported. 

Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin arguing with a policeman. Photo: Geo News

0818: PPP candidate Faisal Mir, talking to Geo News, said by evening people will see the biggest 'upset' in the country's political history.

Voters line up at a polling station at the start of polling. Photo: Geo News

0800: Polling time begins at 220 polling stations across NA-120. A total of 324,786 registered voters can exercise their right to cast the ballot.