Thursday, March 28, 2024

Govt, opposition vie for number game as Senate election tomorrow

Govt, opposition vie for number game as Senate election tomorrow
March 2, 2021

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – A tough contest is expected between the government and the opposition for the number game in Senate election to be held on Wednesday.

The voting will be held in the National as well as Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assemblies. In Punjab, all senators have been elected unopposed.

The election will not be held for four seats of the FATA due to its merger in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As a result, the seats in the Upper House has been reduced to 100 from 104.

Fifty-two senators are retiring, but the election will be held for 48 seats.

Currently, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has 14 seats in the Senate and a half of senators will retire. Keeping in view the its members in provincial assemblies, the PTI is likely to get 20 new seats. As a result, total number of PTI senators will increase to 27, making the party biggest one in the Upper House.

The PTI is expecting to win 9-10 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two each from Islamabad and Sindh and one from Balochistan. Five seats have already been won from Punjab.

Presently, the PPP has 21 seats and seven of them are retiring. All the retiring senators belong to Sindh. But the PPP is likely to get five seats from Sindh, reducing the senators to 19 from 21.

On the other hand, the PML-N has 29 senators. Of them, 17 senators are retiring – two senators each from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad. The PML-N has regained only five seats.

Moreover, two senators belonging to the JUI-F are retiring – one each from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The JUI-F is likely to get five seats. The MQM seats are expected to reduce to 3 from 5.

Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Sirajul Haq will retire and there will be only one member of the party. The PML-Q has returned to the Upper House after winning a seat from Punjab.