LAHORE: The PML-N is making all-out efforts to ensure winning all the seven general seats of the Senate from Punjab and checking likely defections in its ranks ahead of secret balloting on March 3.

NA Speaker Ayyaz Sadiq and Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq called on Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif here on Friday and discussed the Senate elections. They considered various options and strategies for winning over support of the five independent MPAs in the Punjab Assembly, the electorate for the Senate polls, and small as well as one-man parliamentary parties namely PML-Z, Jamaat-i-Islami, Bahawalpur National Awami Party, and National Muslim League so that the PTI-led opposition could not secure even a single seat.

The PTI enjoys support of 30 MPAs, PML-Q and PPP eight each, PML-Z three, while the JI, JUI-F, BNAP and NML each have one representative in the House. There are five independent MPAs and the rest in the 371-strong House belong to the ruling PML-N.

To win a general Senate seat from Punjab a candidate needs to secure more than 46 first priority votes. As three staunch rivals of the government, PTI, PPP and PML-Q, collectively have 46 votes, the PML-N leadership is working on how to bar them from winning the previous extra one vote that could secure them a seat provided the opposition comes out with a joint candidate. To the relief of the government, all these three parties have fielded their own candidates.

Meanwhile, CM’s son Hamza gave personal audience to ruling party MPAs to check any defections among them. He has already completed a round of telephonic contacts with the party MPAs.

Their complaints against the government, particularly those related with development schemes, are being resolved on priority and their recommendations regarding postings and transfers of government servants in their respective constituencies are also being given weight, said a source.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2018