Numbers favour PTI in Senate election in Punjab

11 seats, including one each for woman and technocrat, will be contested in province

ISLAMABAD:

The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has geared up its preparations for the upcoming Senate election in Punjab, where the ruling coalition is expected to win a majority of the seats on the back of its numerical strength in the provincial assembly.

In the 371-strong Punjab Assembly, the election in March this year will be held to elect 11 senators. The contested seats include one for women and one for technocrats. The remaining 9 are general seats. So far, more than a dozen candidates entered the fray to contest on behalf of the PTI.

The election on women and technocrat seats will pit the ruling coalition in a one-on-one contest with the opposition, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). However, odds favour the PTI-led government because of its majority in the house.

On the other hand, a fierce competition is expected between the ruling party and the opposition for the 9 general seats in which PML-Q’s votes will play a decisive role. Given the numerical strengths of both sides, the PTI-led coalition is expected to win 5 seats and the PML-N might bag 4 seats.

It is learnt that Prime Minister Imran Khan will take a final decision about the ruling party candidates in the election. The prime minister has also spoken to provincial speaker, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi of the PML-Q, by the telephone two days ago and discussed with him the upcoming elections.

In the Punjab Assembly, a winning candidate for a general seat would require 41.2 votes. At present, the PTI has 181 seats, while the PML-Q has 10 seats. A Rah-e-Haq party lawmaker and 4 independent members are also with the government.

Besides, there are six to eight PML-N rebel members who might also side with the government. These numbers suggest that the ruling coalition could easily grab 5 out of 9 general seats of the upper house of parliament.

On the other side of the aisle, the PML-N has 165 seats. And if it gets the support of another opposition party, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the combined opposition can grab four seats.

It is learnt that Chaudhry Parvez Elahi wants one Senate seat for his party. And if the PTI agreed, Kamil Ali Agha would be the most favourite candidate. However, at present, both the government and the PML-Q are pursuing a wait-and-see policy.

Meanwhile, the government has also mobilised Punjab Chief Minister Buzdar for the election, following his recovery from Covid-19. The chief minister is expected to convene an important meeting on the election next week. Buzdar is also expected to consult the PML-Q in next two days.