LAHORE: The PPP has decided to vote for the PML-N candidates in the by-polls for two Senate seats in Punjab.

Syed Hassan Murtaza, who is PPP Punjab chapter’s information secretary as well as parliamentary party leader in the Punjab Assembly, said on Friday that after internal consultations party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had decided that the PPP MPAs would vote for the N League candidates in the Senate by-polls.

The Upper House seats went vacant when the apex court disqualified PML-N senators Haroon Akhtar Khan (elected against a general seat) and Saadia Abbasi (elected against a seat reserved for women). They had been elected for a six-year term in March this year.

Polling for the two seats will be held in the Punjab Assembly, the electorate for Senate seats from Punjab quota, on Nov 15. The PPP has seven legislators in the provincial house.

The PML-N has awarded tickets to ex-senator Saud Majeed and ex-federal minister Saira Afzal Tarar and the ruling PTI has fielded Waleed Iqbal and Seemi Ezdi.

In an earlier contest for a Senate seat last month, PTI (180 votes) nominee Dr Shahzad Waseem had won by securing 181 out of 351 votes. He enjoyed support of the PML-Q (10 votes), Rah-e-Haq Party (one vote) and independents (four votes).

PML-N’s Khwaja Ahmed Hassaan bagged 169 votes with the help of the PPP.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2018