In an effort to undermine President Pervez Musharraf’s re-election bid, opposition lawmakers on Tuesday submitted their resignations ahead of the October 6 vote.

A total of 86 opposition members in National Assembly, lower House of Parliament, handed over their resignations to Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain.

Their resignations came in protest against Musharraf's bid to seek re-election in the presidential poll on Saturday while retaining the post of army chief.

All the members who resigned belong to the opposition alliance All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) led by exiled former premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party.

Opposition members of three provincial assemblies too tendered their resignations to the Speakers in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta — the capitals of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, respectively. A total of 46 members resigned in Punjab, 25 in Balochistan and seven in Sindh.

The opposition’s move is aimed at wrecking the credibility of Musharraf’s expected re-election for a fresh five-year term as president.

“We have handed over the resignation of 86 members of the National Assembly to the Speaker,” leader of Opposition Fazlur Rehman told reporters.

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the ruling alliance of Islamic groups in the North West Frontier Province, delayed a decision on quitting the provincial assembly as the opposition has submitted a no-trust motion against Chief Minister Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani.

Tehrik-i-Insaf party chief Imran Khan, a cricketer-turned politician who was the first member to hand over his resignation to the Speaker of the National Assembly, said the move would create “more obstacles” in the way of Musharraf’s re-election bid.

Sixty-two MPs from MMA, 21 from PML-N, one each from Tehrik-i-Insaf, Awami National Party and Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party resigned from the National Assembly. Two MMA MPs had resigned earlier.

“This was the step at the right time and the objective is to stop General Musharraf from getting re-elected,” Fazlur Rehman said. The opposition parties have called on traders to observe a shutdown on October 6, he said.