LAHORE, Nov 28: All is set for the election of the leader of the House in the Punjab Assembly on Friday following which power is expected to be transferred to the elected government later in the day.
PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and PPP’s Qasim Zia are in the run for the top slot of chief minister of the largest province of the country.
Both the candidates submitted their nominations on Thursday along with their party leaders and provincial assembly members. PPP MPA Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan had also filed his nomination as a covering candidate for his party leader.
The PML-N parliamentary party leader, Rana Sanaullah Khan, has proposed the name of PPP’s Qasim Zia, the joint candidate of the opposition groups in the assembly, for the top office.
The scrutiny of the nomination papers was carried out by speaker Afzal Sahi in the presence of representatives of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. No representative of Qasim Zia was present at the time of scrutiny.
The leader of the House, after his ascertainment, will be sworn-in as new chief minister of the province at the Governor’s House later in the day.
Governor Khalid Maqbool, who has been running the show in the province for over one year, has already promised to “transfer all executive powers to the elected chief executive and devote himself to social and welfare works”.
Going by the results of election of speaker on Wednesday, it is safe to conclude that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who is also the parliamentary party leader of the PML-Q, will make to the chief minister house with a comfortable majority.
The PML-Q has already managed to break away as many as 22 members of the opposition parties — the PPP, the PML-N and the MMA — in the election to the office of speaker conducted through secret ballot. At least one PPP legislator, Raza Kharal, and one PML-N member Sardar Talib Dagran had crossed the floor on the day of election of speaker. PML-Q’s Afzal Sahi was elected speaker by securing 243 votes out of 354 against joint opposition candidate Rana Mashood Khan who polled 108.
With the help of the People’s Party Parliamentarian (Patriots), the PML-Q is hoping to further increase its tally during the election to the office of chief minister of the province being conducted through a division of the House, exposing the defectors.
According to the Patriots chairman Rao Sikandar Iqbal, some half a dozen PPP legislators had already formed a forward block in the provincial assembly and would vote for Chaudhry Pervaiz. More are expected to join the defectors later in the night, according to sources in the party.
The strength of 371-member provincial assembly of the Punjab has for the time being reduced to 357. Out of them, three members are yet to take oath. Nine members elected both to the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly had decided to opt for the former. Another three seats were vacated by as many members who had returned to the provincial legislature on two seats each. While one member has been disqualified by the election tribunal, polling in another constituency in Sheikhupura was postponed due to a law and order situation created by a candidate.
Chaudhry Pervaiz arrived at the assembly to file his papers in the evening in a cavalcade of cars and four-wheel jeeps along with his party leaders and legislators.
Although the PML-Q leader refused to answer questions by reporters present on the occasion, he told them that he would announce his cabinet after Eidul Fitr. He has already announced completing his cabinet in three phases.
Qasim Zia, a former national hockey player, came in the company of leaders of the PPP and the PML-N. In case of his (inevitable) defeat, he is expected to be elected leader of (the joint) opposition in the House.
