Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leadership is focused on the upcoming Senate elections, as the party is all set to gain majority in the Upper House for the first time in its history.
PPP stalwarts point out that Z. A. Bhutto, the charismatic founder chairman of the party who won hearts and minds of the people with his 'Roti, Kapra and Makaan' slogan and his no less charismatic daughter Benazir Bhutto failed to win a majority in the Senate.
Though President Asif Ali Zardari, they say, lack that kind of charisma, yet he has manoeuvred political situation in such a way that the party is not only holding all important constitutional offices ie Speaker National Assembly, Senate Chairman, President and Prime Minister, but is also poised to secure majority seats in the Senate.
There is no doubt that PPP would be the major gainer and PML-Q the loser in upcoming Senate elections. As many as 20 out of 21 Senators of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) are retiring in March this year.
Sources said that a deal has been finalised on Friday for seat adjustment between PPP and its coalition parents including PML-Q, ANP and MQM in the upcoming Senate elections. The current position of the parties in the Senate is as follows: PPP has 27 Senators, 21 of PML-Q, 7 of PML-N, 8 of FATA, 10 of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (UI-F), 6 of Awami National Party (ANP), 6 of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and 3 of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and one each by some small national parties.
When contacted PML-Q leader Kamal Ali Agha said that PML-Q leadership was engaged in negotiations with PPP Co-Chairman President Asif Ali Zardari regarding seat adjustment in Senate elections. He added that the negotiations would be completed within a week and after the deal his party would announce its candidates for Senate elections.
He said that his party had reasonable strength in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies of Punjab and Balochistan and it would get appropriate share for in the upcoming Senate polls. However, informed sources in the PPP revealed that in the last Senate elections in 2009 the seat adjustment enabled PML-Q to win only one Senate seat.
With the same strength in the National and provincial assemblies, the PML-Q is unlikely to get more than a couple of seats in February 2012 Senate elections. The PPP is eyeing around 42 to 45 seats of the upper house of the Parliament in the upcoming elections. The PML-N is also expected to increase its strength from seven to 13. This is premised entirely on the number on seats for Punjab.
Awami National Party (ANP) would gain increase it current strength of six Senators to 10. The MQM is expected to retain its current strength of six senators. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has 10 seats in Senate and is likely to lose a couple unless it enter into seat adjustment with the PPP.
The JI would lose all its three seats in the Upper House of the Parliament, because it has no representation in the national and provincial assemblies due to its boycott of general elections of 2008. Senators Afia Zia, Professor Khurshid Ahmed and Professor Muhammad Ibrahim would retire in March and have not chance of re-elections.
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