PESHAWAR: The polling process for the vacant seat of the Senate is underway in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly today, Thursday.
The first vote was cast by Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Babar Saleem Swati. The Election Commission had fixed the time 9:00 AM for the polling, but the process started with a two-hour delay.
There are a total of five candidates in the run for this vacant seat, which fell vacant after the resignation of Sania Neshtar, who was representing PTI on the General seat. Earlier, the candidates who are in the contest include independent candidate Mashal Yousafzai from PTI, Sobia Shahid from PML-N, Shahida from JUI, and independent candidates Saima Khalid and Mehtab Zafar.
However, two more candidates withdrew their documents and only three candidates remain in the run, which include Mehtab Zafar nominated as the unanimous candidate from the opposition, Mashal Yousafzai and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s disgruntled candidate Saima Khalid, who refuses to withdraw from the election.
The polling process will continue till 4:00 pm. The provincial government have appointed Law Minister Aftab Alam and MPA Liaquat Ali as polling agents, while the opposition has appointed MPA Jalal Khan as a polling agent.
Provincial Election Commissioner Saeed Gul is the presiding officer from the Election Commission. While four members are performing the duties of polling officers.
The Senate election holds significant importance for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as it determines the province’s stance in the upper house of the parliament, especially when important bills and federal policies are being formulated.
Senators elected from KP will have the responsibility to advocate for provincial rights at the federal level, including development projects, resource allocation, and legislative reforms.
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