Senate elections to be held on March 4: schedule announced

The Senate election will be held on March 4, announced Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) here on Thursday and issued schedule for filing of nomination papers. According to the schedule, issued by (CEC) former Justice Qazi Muhammad Farooq, the Senate elections on 50 seats from all the four provinces as well as the Federal capital and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) will be held simultaneously.
Returning Officers will issue the public notice on February 10 inviting the nomination papers. The last date for filing of nomination papers with the Returning Officers is February 11-13. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on February 14-15 and for this purpose, the offices of Returning Officers (ROs) would remain open on February 15 (Sunday).
Date for filing appeals with the CEC and EC member against acceptance and rejection of nomination papers by the Returning Officers has been set for February 17, while appeals would be off on February 19-20 and the February 21 would be the last date for withdrawal of candidature.
The final list of the contesting candidates would be published on February 22 and the polling for the vacant Senate seats would be held on March 4 between 9.00 a,m. and 4. 00 p. m. The Chief Election Commissioner has also notified Punjab Assembly building, Lahore, as the polling place for the election of Senators from Punjab province.
For election of Senators from Sindh province, Sindh Provincial Assembly would be polling place and the polling for Senate candidates for NWFP province would be held at the provincial assembly building in Peshawar.
For election of Senators from Balochistan province, the provincial assembly building in Quetta would be polling place and the polling for electing Senators from Islamabad Capital Territory and Fata would be held in Parliament House building in Islamabad.
Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad has stated that the names of Returning Officers and Polling Officers have already been notified. He said the Senate election were being held to fill 50 seats of the upper house, falling vacant due to retirement of members after completion of their term on March 11.