PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – Voting to elect 11 members of the Senate has commenced in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, following a mutual agreement between the ruling PTI and opposition parties on a 6-5 seat distribution formula.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, polling began at 11:00am and will continue until 4:00pm.
The Jirga Hall within the KP Assembly has been designated as the official polling station for this election by the ECP.
After an “unprecedented” move of administering oath to 25 opposition MPAs elected on reserved seats by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly has been completed.
Also read: KP governor administers oath to 25 opposition MPAs ahead of Senate polls
The KP Assembly is set to hold Senate elections today for 11 vacant seats as the withdrawal of the four PTI dissenters from the race has cleared the path for the government and opposition to elect their candidates unopposed.
A total of 145 members of the provincial assembly are expected to cast their votes in the election.
Out of the 11 Senate seats, six would be taken by the government, while five would go to the opposition. The ruling party has instructed its lawmakers to arrive at the Assembly Secretariat by 9:00am sharp to ensure timely participation in the polling process.
Four PTI dissenting candidates withdraw nominations
Earlier, Four of five dissenting candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have announced withdrawal from the Senate election.
The candidates, who withdrew their nomination papers, include Waqas Orakzai, Irshad Hussain, Irfan Saleem, and Ayesha Bano. Their decision aligns with the directives of PTI founder.
In a video message, Irfan Saleem stated, “We accept every decision made by the PTI founder.” Ayesha Bano echoed the sentiment, saying she has always followed the party founder’s instructions.
Irshad Hussain emphasised putting the party’s decision above personal interest, while Waqas Orakzai remarked, “Seats are temporary, but ideology is permanent—and we stand with the ideology.”
Candidates contesting KP Senate elections
A total of 25 candidates are competing in today’s Senate elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The PTI’s lineup includes Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Mohammad Afridi, and Noorul Haq Qadri. Additionally, Robina Naz and Azam Swati are contesting under the PTI banner.
Opposition candidates for general seats are Niaz Ahmad from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Talha Mahmood from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Atta-ul-Haq from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F).
For the reserved seats, PPP has nominated Rubina Khalid, while JUI-F’s Dilawar Khan is also in the race.
How many votes are required?
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, which consists of 145 seats, a candidate vying for one of the seven general Senate seats needs a minimum of 21 votes to win. This figure is derived by dividing the total assembly seats by the number of available general seats.
For the reserved seats—both women and technocrats—a candidate must secure at least 72 votes.
At present, the PTI holds 92 seats in the assembly, while the opposition has increased its count to 53 members.
Within the opposition, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) is the largest party with 18 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 17 seats. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) holds 10 seats, Awami National Party (ANP) has four, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) commands three seats.
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