Senate Elections: Mode Of Elections Of Members Of Upper House

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is likely to become the largest party in the upper house with 28 seats after the 2021 Senate elections, while the number of government and opposition members in the 100-member house is expected to be almost equal.

PPP is likely to become the second-largest party with 19 seats, PML-N third with 18 seats and Balochistan Awami Party fourth with 12 seats.

According to Election Commission officials, elections will be held for 48 Senate seats this time. There will be no elections for FATA seats, which will reduce the number of Senate seats from 104 to 100.

Given the party’s current position in the provincial assemblies, the PTI is likely to win 21 new seats in the Senate elections. The PTI currently has 14 seats in the Senate.

The PTI expects 10 senators from its home ground, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, six from Punjab, two from Islamabad, two from Sindh and one from Balochistan. Thus, with 28 seats, the PTI will become the largest party in the Senate for the first time in parliamentary history. The PTI was first represented in the Senate in 2014.

The PPP’s seats in the Senate will be reduced from 21 to 19 PPP senators will retire. All these members are from Sindh. PPP is likely to get 5 new seats from Sindh.

The largest opposition party, the PML-N, will have the highest number of 17 senators retiring. Eleven of the PML-N senators will retire from Punjab, while two each from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad. Thus, the PML-N’s seats in the Senate will be reduced from 30 to 18. PML-N is likely to get 5 new seats in the Senate from Punjab alone.

Two senators of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) will retire from the upper house, one from Balochistan and one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As a result of the new elections, the number of senators of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islami is likely to be five.
The MQM’s Senate seats will be reduced from five to three. With the merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, no new Senate seats will come from FATA. FATA will have 4 members in the Senate.

After the retirement of Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq, only one senator of Jamaat-e-Islami will remain in the Upper House.

According to political experts, the PDM parties could win an additional seat in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by forming an alliance. With the support of ANP, PPP and PML-N, one seat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and one seat in Balochistan Assembly can be won by MMA, BNP Mengal, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and ANP alliance.

The National Party and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party will have two seats in the Senate.

If GDA gets one seat from Sindh, the number of members will be two. BNP Mengal is likely to get 2 new seats. After the election, the number of seats in the Senate will be reduced from 104 to 100.

After the 2021 Senate elections, the ruling coalition comprising Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Balochistan Awami Party, MQM, GDA and PML-Q is likely to have 49 members. On the other hand, the PPP, PML-N, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islami, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, BNP (Mengal) and Jamaat-e-Islami are likely to have 51 opposition members.

PTI Candidates

From PTI Saifullah Niazi, Dr Zarqa and Barrister Ali Zafar from Punjab in the Senate elections. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Sania Nishtar and Mohsin Aziz have been included in the final list.

PPP Candidates

According to the PPP media cell, Jam Mehtab Dahar, Taj Haider, Saleem Mandviwala, Sherry Rehman and Shahadat Awan will be PPP candidates for general seats from Sindh.

Farooq Naik, Shahadat Awan and Karim Khawaja will contest for the technocrat seats while Palwasha Khan, Khairul Nisa Mughal and Rukhsana Shah will contest for the women’s seats.

Azeem-ul-Haq Minhas has been nominated for the Punjab general seat while Farhatullah Babar from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been nominated as the joint PDM candidate.

The PPP has nominated Yousuf Raza Gilani as the joint PDM candidate from Islamabad.

PMN-L Candidates

The PML-N parliamentary board has finalized the names for party tickets in the Senate.

According to PML-N spokesperson Maryam Aurangzeb, the parliamentary board approved the names of five party leaders from Punjab province.

It has been decided to give party ticket to Azam Nazir Tarar Advocate for Technocrat seat while Pervez Rashid, Mushahidullah Khan and Prof Sajid Mir will be PML-N candidates for General seat.

It has been decided to give a party ticket to Barrister Sadia Abbasi for the women’s seat from Punjab.

According to Maryam Aurangzeb, the local body of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will decide to give party tickets to the Senate from the province.

The overall lists of the candidates are as follow,

Punjab

Federal

Sindh

KPK

Balochistan

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