The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released Form 52 for candidates who submitted their nomination papers for the Senate elections scheduled for April 2. Details of candidates for two general and two technocrat seats from Islamabad have been disclosed.
For the general seats from Islamabad, the candidates are Rana Mehmood-ul-Hassan from PML-N and Farzand Hussain Shah from Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). Meanwhile, the technocrat seats from Islamabad feature Ishaq Dar from PML-N and Raja Ansar Mehmood Gilani from SIC.
A seat-adjustment agreement was reached between PML-N and PPP for the two Senate seats from Islamabad.
Out of the total 52 seats in the upper house of parliament, elections will be held for 48 senators. This reduction is due to the abolition of four reserved seats for the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) following the 25th Constitutional Amendment.
The National Assembly members will elect one general seat and one technocrat seat (including Ulema) from the federal capital.
In preparation for the elections, the ECP has appointed returning officers (ROs) for Islamabad and the four provinces. Saeed Gul, the director-general of training at the ECP, will serve as the RO in the federal capital.
Additionally, the ECP announced a change in the polling date at six polling stations in PB-50 Killa Abdullah. Polling will now be held on March 28 instead of March 19, following a request from the Balochistan government. The ECP has directed the concerned ROs to supervise security and other arrangements, with polling scheduled from 8 am to 4 pm.
The results from PB-50 were challenged by the runner-up, Muhammad Nawaz of JUI-F, after ANP’s Zamrak Khan won. Consequently, the ECP ordered polling to be conducted again at six polling stations in the constituency.
