Stage set for Senate Elections

Regardless of many hurdles, the Senate elections are underway where as many as 98 candidates will contest 45 seats, with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) having finalized all arrangements to hold the polls at the four provincial assemblies and the National Assembly (NA).

The newly-elected members of the upper house of parliament will replace 50 outgoing Senators whose terms will end on March 12 after completing their six-year period. On Thursday, the ECP declared nine contestants as uncontested winners and therefore polling will be held for 45 seats.

The four seats, which have been added to the upper house in the 18^th amendment, reserved purely for minorities.

As many as eight candidates will contest for seven general seats in Punjab. Kamran Michael, Ishaq Dar, Nuzhat Sadiq, Khalida Perveen and Aitzaz Ahsan have already been declared successful uncontested.

In Sindh, same eight candidates will contest for seven general seats with two candidates for one seat reserved for minorities and three for two seats reserved for women. Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Barrister Farogh Naseem have been declared returned uncontested, respectively for the two seats reserved for Ulema and technocrats.

In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as many as 13 candidates are contesting for seven general seats. Out of seven four candidates for two seats reserved for women, six for two seats reserved for Ulema and technocrats and two candidates will be contesting for one seat reserved for minorities.

As many as 19 candidates will contest for seven general seats in Balochistan out of which nine for two seats reserved for women, eight candidates for two seats for Ulema and technocrats, and five candidates will be in the race for one seat reserved for the minorities.

On two seats from the federal capital, one general and one seat reserved for Ulema and technocrats, Osman Saifullah and Mushahid Hussain Syed have been declared winners un-opposed, while 11 candidates are in the run for four seats of FATA.

Polling for the Senate seats from the provinces are underway at the provincial assemblies, while for FATA, concerned MNAs will vote in the Parliament House to elect members of the upper house.

The election commission has directed returning officers not to permit members to carry to polling stations cell phones or any other devices with which pictures may be taken.

Polling will continue uninterrupted from 0900 hours to 1600 hours; counting will be done thereon and results will be announced by the returning officers.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Mar 2 2012. Filed under National, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.