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Saturday, 25 May 2013 6:25 am
High 14 oC - Low 7 oC
Senate polls
Some surprises, no table turner though
Despite challenges that at one point made many doubt if the PPP would be allowed to hold the Senate polls, the party has succeeded in undertaking the exercise in accordance with the schedule. This constitutes yet another step towards the strengthening the system.
There were surprises from Punjab. Eight candidates were left in the run for seven general seats. The failure on the part of the PPP veteran Aslam Gill to make to the Senate was unexpected as the PPP had the required number of 48 votes needed to secure his victory. The candidate and his supporters naturally attributed the failure to betrayal by some of the PPP MPAs. The other surprise was the election of Mohsin Leghari contesting independently after the Forward Bloc denied him the ticket. The surprises were welcome to the PML(N) as these humiliated both the PPP and PML(Q). It was for the second time that a PPP leader lost the elections despite the party possessing the necessary number of votes. Earlier, when Farhatullah Babar had lost the Senate election the failure was attributed to the influence of the money factor. The claim by two PML(N) leaders that this time too votes were bought requires evidence which is yet to surface. Gill’s failure to reach the Senate could have been the result of a loose party discipline. This was indicated by the way party workers waiting outside the Assembly Hall reacted to the news. Slogans were raised against the Punjab party boss and the banners carrying the picture of a successful PPP candidate were trampled upon.
The PPP and its allies have won the much sought after two thirds majority in the Senate. The PML(N) too has doubled its presence in the Upper House from 7 to 14 seats. This is partly due to a mutual understanding with the PPP in Punjab. Losing parties include those who supported Musharraf, with the exception of MQM, or those who boycotted the last election and were left with no representation in the provincial assemblies. The PML(Q) has now only 5 Senators as compared to 21 before, JUI(F) will have to be content with a smaller representation, while Jamaat-e-Islami, PPP(S), PKMAP and JWP have been wiped out.
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