PPP to support PML-N in Senate by-election

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party has announced supporting the PML-N in the Senate by-poll scheduled on October 3 (tomorrow) after which a tough contest is expected on the single seat of Senate in Punjab vacated by PTI’s Chaudhry Sarwar.

However, the PTI still enjoys a lead of around 20 MPAs over PML-N whereas the latter is also busy in putting maximum weight to create an upset. Currently, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, along with its allies, including the PML-Q, Rah-e-Haq Party and a few more independents like Ahmed Ali Aulakh and Jugnoo Mohsin claim the support of 187 members in the House where so far 354 out of the total 371 have taken oath. The PML-N, with 160 members in PA has now attained the support of seven PPP legislators following which its total strength stands at 167. The PML-N has fielded former Lord Mayor of Lahore Khawaja Ahmed Hassaan for the only Senate seat who also enjoys good relationships with many members of the rival camp where most of the members have been the part of either PML-N or PML-Q in past.

Besides, the PML-N leadership is also lobbying strongly to create an upset and the additional support of seven PPP MPAs has come as a booster for it. According to PPP Parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza, the party leadership had decided not to vote for the candidate of a ‘Fascist party.’

He said the PTI after coming to power had emerged as a Fascist party and PPP’s seven MPAs in the Punjab Assembly would vote for Khawaja Ahmed Hassaan, the PML-N candidate. Hassan Murtaza stated that party leadership had taken this decision after it was contacted by PML-N.

On the other hand, PTI, which has fielded Waseem Shehzad for the only Senate seat enjoys the support of a party with lion’s share in the House. Waseem has been a close confidant of Prime Minister Imran Khan, though for most of the newcomers in PTI, he is not very much familiar. The PTI is also putting maximum weight to consolidate its strength and ensure a victory with en even bigger margin that it won the CM election. Chief Minister Usman Buzdar won the poll of the Leader of the House with a margin of 27 votes against PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz while PPP didn’t participate in the polling process. Buzdar is also regularly holding meeting with the party MPAs to keep the party vote intact.

With this, the PTI also enjoys an advantage of having the support of a figure like former CM Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi whose stature in the parliamentary politics of Punjab isn’t hidden from anyone. Currently, Pervaiz Elahi is the Punjab Assembly Speaker who got even 15 votes more than the collective strength of ruling parties and allies and his role in causing a breach in the PML-N camp is very much predictable.

The gap of votes between PTI and allies against PML-N and its ally in 20 votes which the leadership of PML-N is trying to cover up through lobbying and contacting members of the rival side who had to cast vote through secret ballot.

The seat on which by-poll is scheduled on Wednesday (tomorrow) has been vacated by Chaudhry Sarwar who took oath as Punjab Governor. Sarwar was the only PTI Senator who got elected from Punjab and created an upset while winning the seat despite the fact that PTI was short of numbers. PTI, in those polls held in March this year, had 34 MPAs but Sarwar got 54 votes that showed an additional support of 20 MPAs who belonged to PML-N but voted for PTI.