Senate elections to be held on March 3

Final list of candidates will be issued on February 25 as per ECP's schedule

The Election Commission of Pakistan issued on Monday the schedule for Senate elections to be held on March 3. 

Half of the upper house will become vacant after 52 members of the 104-member upper house complete six-year term.

Nomination papers from the candidates will be received on February 12 and 13, while scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on February 16 and 17. The final list of candidates will be issued on February 25. 

Earlier, The Express Tribune had learnt that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called a party meeting next week to draw up a strategy on the upcoming Senate elections .



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According to sources privy to the development, a few members of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary board along with the senior leadership will meet the prime minister, who is also the chairman of the board, to seek his permission about preparations for the upper house election.

After getting the PM’s approval, the sources pointed out, they will start seeking applications from the candidates.

This time, the party is willing to keep its five existing senators while the rest of the expected party seats will be filled with other allied groups, the sources revealed, adding that the party’s parliamentary board will approach its allies in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) for the election.