Senate elections: Polling for 45 seats begins

ISLAMABAD: The polling for the 45 Senate seats have begun in four provincial assemblies and National Assembly, Geo News reported. As many as 98 candidates are in the run.

Polling will continue uninterrupted from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm; counting will be done thereon and results will be announced by the returning officers.

The newly-elected senators will replace 50 outgoing senators who will retire on March 12 after completing their six-year term.

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday declared nine candidates as uncontested winners and thus polling will be held for 45 seats, including for four newly-added minorities seats in the upper house.

From the Punjab, eight candidates are contesting for seven general seats. Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Ishaq Dar, Nuzhat Sadiq, Khalida Perveen and Kamran Michael have already been declared returned uncontested.

In Sindh, eight candidates are contesting for seven general seats with three candidates for two seats reserved for women and two for one seat reserved for minorities. For the two seats reserved for Ulema and technocrats, Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Barrister Farogh Naseem have been declared returned uncontested.

In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 candidates are in the run for seven general seats, four candidates for two seats reserved for women, six for two seats reserved for Ulema and technocrats and two are contesting for one seat reserved for minorities.

In Balochistan, 19 candidates are contesting for seven general seats, nine for two seats reserved for women, eight candidates for two seats for Ulema and technocrats, and five candidates are in the run for one seat reserved for the minorities.

On two seats from the federal capital, one general and one seat reserved for Ulema and technocrats, Osman Saifullah and Mushahid Hussain Syed have been declared returned uncontested.

While, 11 candidates are contesting for four seats of Fata.

Polling for the Senate seats from the provinces is being held at the provincial assemblies, while for Fata, Fata MNAs are casting their vote in the Parliament House to elect senators.

The EC has directed returning officers not to allow members to carry to polling stations cell phones or any other devices with which pictures may be taken.