The ruling Pakistan People's Party on Tuesday filed nomination papers for party chief Asif Ali Zardari for the September 6 presidential polls, a day after the PML-N pulled out of the government over its failure to restore judges deposed during last year's emergency.

Senior PPP leaders and federal Ministers Sherry Rehman and Khurshid Shah went to the Election Commission with leaders of the Awami National Party and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, both partners in the ruling coalition and filed the nomination papers for Zardari with Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Muhammad Farooq.

Nomination papers were also filed on behalf of Zardari's sister Faryal Talpur, who will be his covering candidate.

A large number of PPP workers gathered outside the Election Commission to celebrate as the nomination papers were filed.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman have endorsed Zardari's candidature.

Meanwhile, senior PML-N leaders too went to the Election Commission and filed nomination papers on behalf of the party's presidential candidate - former Supreme Court Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Monday named Siddiqui as his party's candidate when he pulled out of the PPP-led coalition. The PML-N broke away from the five-month-old coalition exactly a week after Musharraf's resignation, which has necessitated the holding of presidential polls.

The nomination papers for the polls will be accepted from Tuesday. The nominations will then be scrutinized by the Election Commission on August 28, and the last date for withdrawing nominations is August 30.

Polling will be held between 10 am and 3 pm in Parliament and the provincial assemblies on September 6.

The electoral college for the polls comprises the four provincial assemblies and the two houses of parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate.