Senate elections: PPP leaders’ race for vacant seat
Party leaders feel they can win Faisal Raza Abidi’s vacant seat in upcoming election unopposed.
The PPP has directed all its lawmakers to be present in the house for the elections. PHOTO: PPI/FILE
KARACHI:
Since the election commission’s announcement to hold senate elections for Faisal Raza Abidi’s vacant seat, a race between the senior leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for the seat has begun. Taj Haider, Qadir Patel, Dr Qayoom Soomro, Iftikhar Hussain are among the likely candidates to get the ticket.
Someone has also challenged senator Dr Soomro’s technocrat seat in court on the ground that he is not a ‘technocrat’. The case is currently pending in court.
Sources within the party have also said that the PPP is considering re-electing Soomro on the general seat previously held by Abidi and giving his technocrat seat to Haider. The final decision will be announced by May 10. Patel, who is the president of the party’s Karachi division, and had previously lost the NA 239 (Keamari) seat in the general elections, is also in the race for the senate elections scheduled to be held on May 16 in the Sindh Assembly.
The PPP has directed all its lawmakers to be present in the house for the elections.
Sources have also said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will be supporting PPP as both the parties are trying to have the senator position elected unopposed. “The seat belongs to PPP. We are trying to convince other parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to withdraw their nomination in favour of our candidate. If not, the PPP still has a majority in the house and can elect its senator,” said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.
According to the schedule issued by the election commission, the nomination forms will be submitted on May 5 and May 6, and the scrutiny of the papers will take place on May 7 and May 8. The last date to file the appeal is May 9,the last date for withdrawal of a candidate is May 13 and the final list of the candidates will also be displayed on the same day.
The seat vacated by Mustafa Kamal has also remained unoccupied. Though Kamal resigned before Abidi, the election schedule for the seat has yet to be issued.
Currently, there are a total 168 members in the provincial assembly. Of these, PPP has 92 members, MQM has 51, PML-F has 11, PML-N has 10 and PTI has 4.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2014.
Since the election commission’s announcement to hold senate elections for Faisal Raza Abidi’s vacant seat, a race between the senior leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for the seat has begun. Taj Haider, Qadir Patel, Dr Qayoom Soomro, Iftikhar Hussain are among the likely candidates to get the ticket.
Someone has also challenged senator Dr Soomro’s technocrat seat in court on the ground that he is not a ‘technocrat’. The case is currently pending in court.
Sources within the party have also said that the PPP is considering re-electing Soomro on the general seat previously held by Abidi and giving his technocrat seat to Haider. The final decision will be announced by May 10. Patel, who is the president of the party’s Karachi division, and had previously lost the NA 239 (Keamari) seat in the general elections, is also in the race for the senate elections scheduled to be held on May 16 in the Sindh Assembly.
The PPP has directed all its lawmakers to be present in the house for the elections.
Sources have also said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will be supporting PPP as both the parties are trying to have the senator position elected unopposed. “The seat belongs to PPP. We are trying to convince other parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to withdraw their nomination in favour of our candidate. If not, the PPP still has a majority in the house and can elect its senator,” said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.
According to the schedule issued by the election commission, the nomination forms will be submitted on May 5 and May 6, and the scrutiny of the papers will take place on May 7 and May 8. The last date to file the appeal is May 9,the last date for withdrawal of a candidate is May 13 and the final list of the candidates will also be displayed on the same day.
The seat vacated by Mustafa Kamal has also remained unoccupied. Though Kamal resigned before Abidi, the election schedule for the seat has yet to be issued.
Currently, there are a total 168 members in the provincial assembly. Of these, PPP has 92 members, MQM has 51, PML-F has 11, PML-N has 10 and PTI has 4.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2014.