Senate polls to be held tomorrow through secret ballot

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Elections will be held through secret ballot tomorrow (Thursday).In a bid to ensure secrecy of the ballot, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) barred all lawmakers of the National Assembly and the four provincial legislatures from using mobile phones and electronic items during the Senate election polling.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Election Commission imposed a ban on members of the National Assembly and all provincial assemblies on taking mobile phones or other electronic devices, through which pictures can be taken, into the premises where polling will be held.
The move has been made as the government and some leading political parties are trying to curb horse-trading in the upcoming Senate polls, whereby voters may switch sides unofficially and cast votes in exchange for money.
For this purpose, voters can take pictures of their ballot papers as proof of who they have voted for and in return, they are allegedly paid millions of rupees.