Will money do the trick in KP, Balochistan Senate polls?

ISLAMABAD: Victory of any number of independent candidates and nominees of political parties, having insufficient numerical strength to elect them, in Thursday’s Senate elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan will establish beyond an iota of doubt that heavy money did the trick.
Upsets are likely in these two provincial assemblies while the election will be a smooth affair in Punjab and Sindh where the major political parties have relatively strong foothold.No great brainpower would be required to identify the defectors, who changed their loyalties for monetary considerations, as parliamentary parties have formed panels of provincial legislators, allocating them the representatives they would vote for. Thus, at least the cluster of lawmakers will be clearly distinguishable if the candidate allotted to them faced rout.
The indirect electoral process in KP and Balochistan has turned into a painful and excruciating exercise, tarnishing the democratic process, simply because some independents and representatives of political parties are buying votes for any amount.
In this sorry saga, two parties - the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) - have played fairly as they have fielded only as many candidates as could win according to their respective numerical strength. Ironically, their lawmakers are facing the onslaught of the fabulously rich competitors.
The PTI legislators are confronted with this situation only in KP where their party is vying for the Senate seats while the PML-N is facing this scenario in KP as well as Balochistan.With just five votes in the KP Assembly, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) aims to win a couple of seats here, which is not possible in a fair play as at least 18 lawmakers are required to elect one senator on a general seat. The support of half of the 124-member KP Assembly is needed to choose a senator on a seat reserved for women and technocrats.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) is also struggling to clinch much more than what is due considering its number of lawmakers in the KP and Balochistan assemblies. In the same boat is Aftab Sherpao’s Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).It will be instructive to have a look at the numbers’ scenario in the KP and Balochistan assemblies, which have become trading centres.
In the KP Assembly, where 18 voters can elect one senator on a general seat, the largest party, the PTI, has 56 lawmakers followed by the PML-N and JUI-F with 17 members each; and the PPP, Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) and Awami National Party (ANP) with five legislators each; and Jamaat-e-Islami with eight members. There are two independents. Apart from the PTI, PML-N and Jamaat-e-Islami, every party has fielded more than one contestant while they are in no position to elect even one senator.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan has made it clear that he will not sit idle or watch the situation silently if any of his votes was taken away by the PPP, JUI-F or an independent contestant but his rivals are poised to teach him a lesson in their own fashion for lethally attacking them for innumerable times.
In the Balochistan legislature, where 9.28 members can elect one senator on a general seat, the PML-N is the largest party with 22 lawmakers followed by Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) with 14 members; National Party (NP) with 11 members; JUI-F with 8 legislators; PML-Q with 4 members; Balochistan National Party (BNP) with two lawmakers; and ANP, Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen(MWM) and BNP-Awami with one member each. There is not a single independent member in this assembly.
Interestingly, the PML-N, PMAP, NP, PML-Q and MQM are formal coalition partners in Balochistan while the JUI-F and ANP are in the opposition there.It is a fact that the PTI in KP and PML-N and PML-Q in Balochistan face threats of overt and covert rebellions and fear defections meaning that the prospective turncoats may opt for other considerations.
A flagrant violation of the PML-N discipline emerged in Balochistan from a person no less than provincial Speaker Jan Jamali himself, who is hell-bent to get his daughter, contesting as an independent candidate, elected.
“I will not ask her to withdraw come what may,” he bluntly told a PML-N delegation. There could be no open colossal violation of the party direction.A most damning comment on the vote buying and selling in KP came from ANP’s Haji Adeel, who is seeking re-election. He asked the participants of a Senate committee to loan him Rs240 million that he needs to purchase 12 deficient votes of KP lawmakers whereas he has just five members of his party to support him.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exuded confidence about the sure election of his two nominees for the Senate in the National Assembly that he will not be casting his own vote as he flew to Saudi Arabia for a three-day official visit. Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Sirajul Haq will be the only lawmaker, who will be casting his vote in his own favour.