ISLAMABAD: The Election Commision of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule for the Senate elections. Polling to elect Senate members would be held on March 3.
Candidates can submit their nomination papers from February 4 to 6 while the scrutiny of the nomination papers will be completed by February 9.
According to the ECP, four senators will be elected on general seats from FATA, 11 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan each, and 12 each from Sindh and Punjab — including seven on general seats, two on technocrats’ seats, two on women’s seats and one on a minorities’ seat.
Moreover, two senators, one general and one technocrat, will be elected from the federal capital.
A total of 52 senators are going to expire on March 11 after completion of their six-year term.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will lose 18 out of 26 senators including Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Opposition Leader Aitzaz Ahsan, Taj Haider and Farhatullah Babar while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has 26 senators, will lose nine seats. Former finance minister Ishaq Dar, who is in London these days, will also be retired.
The Senate comprises 104 members in which 23 each are from four provinces, eight from Fata and four from Islamabad. The 23 seats allocated for each province comprise 14 general seats, four reserved for women, four for technocrats and one for a minority member.