163 Sindh MPAs to cast votes in presidential poll today

As many as 163 members of the Sindh Assembly are eligible to cast votes in the election for the president of Pakistan being held at the provincial legislature on Tuesday (today).

The chief justice of the Sindh High Court, who is the presiding officer for the election of the president of Pakistan in Sindh, has received the voters’ list containing the names of 163 MPAs who are eligible to cast their votes.

Out of the total strength of 168 members of the Sindh Assembly, one seat of Karachi is vacant due to the postponement of general elections for it, two seats of women MPAs are empty as the returned lawmakers of the PTI and the PPP have to take the oath of office, while one returned MPA of the PPP has opted for the National Assembly seat he also won in the general elections. One seat fell vacant after Imran Ismail became governor.

The provincial election commissioner, Mohammad Yousuf Khattak, on Monday visited the Sindh Assembly to inspect the arrangements being made for the presidential polls to be held there.

The polling will be held from 10am till 4pm for which all arrangements have been finalised in the assembly building and the hall, including the provision of ballot papers, ballot boxes and other electoral items. The voters in the presidential election would not be allowed to carry with them smartphones or any other electronic gadget at the time of casting their votes so as to duly observe the secrecy of the ballot paper.

Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, who is the candidate for the presidential election nominated by the Pakistan Peoples Party, is likely to get 38 votes from the Sindh Assembly under the formula of the counting of votes for the presidential election.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Dr Arif Alvi is likely to secure up to 25 votes from the provincial assembly.