Gilani to contest Senate by-polls from Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has finally decided to bring back former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani to the Senate from Islamabad on the same seat that he vacated after being elected to the National Assembly from NA-148.

The submission of nomination papers for Senate’s by-elections on the seat from the federal capital, scheduled to be held on March 14, clearly indicates that he is the PPP’s choice as Senate chairman.

The nomination papers of Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for the by-elections of Senate on the vacant seat from the federal capital were submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan by his lawyers. The election on the vacant seat is scheduled to be held on March 14 and tenure of this Senate was till March 11, 2027.

Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani vacated the Senate seat from Islamabad after being elected as an MNA in the general elections from NA-148 Multan. According to PPP insiders, if Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani fights for Senate seat, it is expected that his son Ali Qasim Gilani could contest the by-elections from NA-148 Multan.

An insider of the PPP also says that Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani is still a top PPP contender for the Senate chairman and details have also been finalised with PMLN. Party insiders also say that Gilani has left the decision to PPP’s top leadership.

If Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani is elected as the Senate chairman, he will hold the unique record of having served at the top three constitutional posts in the country -- speaker of the National Assembly, prime minister of Pakistan and chairman of the Senate.

Though Gilani had also contested the Senate chairman election in 2021 against Sadiq Sanjrani, he technically lost the election after seven of his votes were declared invalid by the-then presiding officer. Senator Sadiq Sanjrani was elected as the chairman of the Senate.

Meanwhile, as many

as 12 candidates have submitted their nomination papers for the three vacant Senate seats from Balochistan.

According to the announcement of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday, the submission of nomination papers to the Returning Officer (RO) for the three vacant seats of the Senate from Balochistan has been completed.

The ECP has declared that voting for the three vacant Senate seats from Balochistan will take place on March 14, 2024, within the premises of the Balochistan Assembly. The Senate seats from Balochistan have become vacant due to the resignation of Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, Prince Ahmad Umar Ahmadzai and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari.

Muhammad Farid Afridi, serving as the Provincial Election Commissioner of Balochistan, has been designated as the RO for the Senate elections slated for March 14th. The RO was issued a public notice on March 1, with candidates scheduled to submit their nomination papers on March 2 and 3, from 08:30 am to 04:30 pm. The deadline for scrutinizing nomination papers is March 5, while the deadline for lodging appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers is March 7, 2024. The tribunal is required to resolve appeals by March 9 and the revised list of candidates will be published on the same day.

Likewise, March 10 has been designated as the final date for the withdrawal of nomination papers. According to the schedule, the voting for three seats will take place on March 14, 2024 from 9 am to 4 pm with no interruption.