ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) secured victory in four out of six Senate seats in Thursday’s by-elections.

In the National Assembly, polling took place for one vacant Senate seat from Islamabad. PPP candidate Yousaf Raza Gilani emerged victorious with 204 votes, while Chaudhary Ilyas Mehrban of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) secured the runner-up position with 88 votes.

In the Sindh Assembly, PPP candidates Jam Saifullah Dharijo and Aslam Abro won with 58 and 57 votes, respectively. SIC’s Nazirullah and Shazia Sohail received 4 votes each. A total of 124 MPAs, including 116 from PPP and 8 from SIC, participated in the polling. These seats were vacated due to the resignations of Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and Jam Mehtab Dahar of the PPP.

In Balochistan, PPP’s Mir Abdul Qudus Bizenjo won with 23 votes, while JUI-F’s Abdul Shakoor Khan Ghaibai and PML-N’s Mir Dostain Domki also secured victories on vacant Senate seats.

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced a schedule for elections on forty-eight vacant Senate seats.

Polling is scheduled for the second of next month from 9 am to 4 pm. Candidates can submit their nomination papers to the returning officers from tomorrow until Saturday.

Nomination papers will be scrutinized on the 19th of this month, and a revised list of candidates will be issued on the 26th, with the deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers set for the 27th. These seats became vacant after the incumbent members’ term expired on the 11th of this month.