Parties start canvassing for Senate candidates

With the Senate elections just at hand, political maneuvering to cobble up support for candidates has intensified.

According to The Express Tribune, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari had a telephonic contact where both the leaders discussed the upcoming Senate elections, political situation and the PDM’s long march to the federal capital.

Sharif offered full support to Zardari for Yousuf Raza Gilani, PDM’s joint candidate for the Senate polls from Islamabad. Sources said that Gilani also spoke to Sharif over the phone.

Gilani, who served as the prime minister from 2008 till June 19, 2012, when the top court disqualified him for contempt of court for refusing to reopen dormant cases against the then president Asif Zardari, has been declared eligible by the ECP to contest the elections.

Meanwhile, the ruling PTI has started establishing contacts with its allies for the Senate elections.

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A two-member delegation of the government comprising Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar and Minister for Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh met with MQM-P.

Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and others represented the MQM-P in the meeting which took place at their Bahadurabad’s office in Karachi.

According to sources, the PTI sought MQM-P’s support in the Senate elections. The MQM-P assured the ruling party that they stood with them and would continue to support them in the upper house elections.

Separately, Senate elections candidates along with ministers and National Assembly (NA) members called on Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar at Governor’s House in Lahore on Saturday.

During the meeting, important issues including Senate elections were discussed. The Punjab governor said that the members of PTI would vote for Dr Sheikh and Fauzia, adding that the allies of the ruling party were also standing with them.