Senate by-polls: PPP’s Gilani regains own vacant seat by securing 204 votes

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani – who is believed to be the party’s candidate for chairman Senate – regained his own vacant seat from federal capital on Thursday by securing 204 votes while his rival Ilyas Meherban of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) bagged 88 votes.

In the Senate by-elections, Gilani was the joint candidate of the ruling coalition for a seat from Islamabad which he had vacated following his victory as member National Assembly in February 8 general elections.

A total of 301 votes were cast while nine were rejected during counting. The polling for the one vacant seat from capital began at 9am and ended at 4pm.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) decided to stay away from Senate by-elections, while Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also boycotted the process.

The by-elections for six Senate seats – one from Islamabad, three from Balochistan and two from Sindh – had fallen vacant after the occupants were elected to the national and provincial assemblies.

These six seats had fallen vacant under Article 223 of the constitution which bars dual membership.

As per its sub-section 4, if a member of either house of parliament or a provincial assembly becomes a candidate for a second seat, which he may not hold concurrently with his first seat, his first seat becomes vacant as soon as he is elected to the second seat.

Gilani, who had taken oath as MNA on February 29 after winning the National Assembly seat from Multan, is being tipped as the next Senate chairman as per the power-sharing formula agreed between the PPP and the PML-N to form a government.

Though there has been no official announcement that Gilani is the candidate of the newly formed eight-party ruling coalition for the top Senate office, the fact that no one from the PML-N contested the by-polls against him gives credence to such reports.

At the same time, the sources also said that Gilani may face stiff resistance – from the powers that be – on his way to becoming the chairman Senate as former caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, and Abdul Qudus Bizenjo, ex-chief minister Balochistan, enjoy the full backing of the powerful military establishment for the top slot of chairman Senate.

They said the “those who have the backing of the military” would certainly clinch the top slot, as “they” needed a “Sanjrani-type man” to get control of the upper house of parliament.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024