Staff Reporter Peshawar
All has been set for holding a free, fair, and transparent Senate election that would be held in Khyber Pakthunkhwa Assembly on March 3, Wednesday.
Following the opinion of the Supreme Court, the election would be held through secret balloting procedure in KP Assembly that has been declared as a polling station for Senate polls by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The polling would start at 9.a.m and continue till 5.p.m wherein 145 lawmakers would exercise their right of votes in a free and secure atmosphere. Following the retirement of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUIP) Tariq Khattak on the general seat and Naeema Kishawar on the women’s reserved seat on Tuesday, now a total of 23 candidates were left in the electoral race for 12 seats of KP.
As many as 10 candidates would contest on seven general seats, five on two technocrat seats, four on two women reserved seats, and four candidates on one non-Muslim seat in KP. Similarly, 10 candidates were in the run for seven general seats including Syed Shibli Faraz (PTI), Taj Muhammad Afridi (Balochistan Awami Party BAP), Zeeshan Khanzada (PTI), Abbas Afridi (PMLN), Attaur Rehman son of Gohar Rehman (Jumaat Islami), Ataur Rehman son of Maulana Mufti Mehmood (JUIP), Faisal Saleem Rehman (PTI), Liaqat Khan Tarkai (PTI), Mohsin Aziz (PTI) and Hidayatullah Khan (ANP).
Five candidates, who would try their luck on two technocrat seats include Dost Muhammad Khan (PTI), Shaukat Jamal Ameerzada (ANP), Farhatullab Babar (PPPP), Muhammad Iqbal Khalil (Jumaat Islami), and Muhammad Hamayun Mohmand (PTI).
For two women reserved seats, four candidates are in the run including Tasleem Begum (ANP), Sania Nishtar (PTI), Inayat Belgium (JIP), and Falak Naz (PTI).
Four candidates are in the run for one non-Muslim seat include Asif Bhatti (ANP), Javed Gill (JIP), Ranjeet Singh (JUIP), and Gurdeep Singh (PTI).
As per seat position in KP Assembly having 145 MPAs, PTI has a total of 94 MPAs, JUIP 15, Jumat Islami 3, ANP 12, PMLN 7, PPPP 5, PML one, four each of BAP and independents.
ECP has completed all necessary arrangements for holding free, fair, and transparent Senate polls, and entry of unnecessary visitors in KP Assembly would not be allowed on the polling day.
