The parliamentary party of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Punjab Assembly has decided to vote for the nominee of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Khawaja Ahmed Hassaan in the senate by-election to be held tomorrow (Wednesday). It would be now a very close contest between PML-N’s Khawaja Ahmed Hassaan and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Dr Shahzad Wasim, keeping in view the number game in the Punjab Assembly where the government alliance is just ahead with a few seats from the opposition alliance. The senate general seat from Punjab fell vacant after resignation of Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar who took the oath of Punjab governor after tendering resignation from senate soon after casting his vote in the presidential elections. It is worth mentioning that Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar became the first senator of PTI from Punjab in March this year after getting more votes from the then strength of PTI in Punjab Assembly raising alarm bells as over a dozen PML-N lawmakers also gave their votes to Muhammad Sarwar violating the party discipline. Since the polling for senate election is held through secret balloting, therefore it becomes difficult to identify those who violate the party guidelines. “Our party leadership has asked us to vote for Hassaan as PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif contacted the PPP leadership in order to get our support for their nominee in the senate by-election,” PPP’s Parliamentary Leader in Punjab Assembly Syed Hassan Murtaza said. He further added that PTI has emerged as a fascist party after taking the reins of the government and therefore we cannot vote for the nominee of a fascist party. The contest now has become very interesting after PPP pledged that its seven Members of Punjab Assembly will vote for PML-N’s nominee. There are 354 MPAs in the Punjab Assembly right now where PTI is the largest party with 175 members followed by PML-N’s 159 MPAs. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PMLQ) is the third largest party with 10 MPAs whereas the PPP has seven MPAs in the Punjab Assembly while one MPA hails from the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq party and there are two independent MPAs as well in the house. “Our candidate has links in the PML-Q and Hassaan can become the senator if he gets support from only a few PML-Q and PTI lawmakers,” said a PML-N MPA, who wished not to be named. He further added that some PTI MPAs can also give vote to Hassaan as they have resentment over the nomination of Dr Shahzad Wasim who is a parashooter in the PTI and remained minister in the cabinet of former president Pervez Musharraf. Moreover, the PML-N has come up with a strategy and made 10 groups of MPAs with two coordinators in each group in order to ensure that PML-N’s nominee get the votes of all its MPAs. Meanwhile, Leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz is hyperactive these days holding meetings with parliamentarians of Punjab to evolve a strategy to win maximum seats in the by-elections and the Senate election. On the other hand, the ruling PTI doesn’t seem interested in the by-elections including the senate polls contrary to the past when the incumbent Punjab governor and senior Punjab minister Aleem Khan used to run vigorous campaign for the party. Published in Daily Times, October 2nd 2018.