Senate election 2012 polling begins in KP

PESHAWAR: Polling for 12 Senate seats started in Khyber Pakthunkhwa Assembly on Friday.

The polling started at 9am and will continue till 4pm at the provincial assembly building where parliamentarians will cast their votes. As many as 21 contestants are in the run for 12 Senate seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Thirteen candidates are in the run for seven general seats, four candidates for two seats reserved for women. Six contestants are vying for two seats reserved for Ulema and Technocrats while two candidates are contesting for one seat reserved for minorities. The Provincial Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for holing the Senate Election.

Prominent among candidates for general seats included Azam Khan Hoti, Baz Mohammad Khan and Shahi Syed from ANP, Ahmed Hassan Khan, Haji Saifullah Bangash from PPP, Talha Mehmood from JUI-F and Nisar Mohammad Khan of PML-N.

The main aspirants for Technocrat seats were Ilyas Ahmed Bilour of ANP, Farhatullah Babar of PPP and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra of PML-N.

The women contestants for two reserved seats included Rubina Khalid of PPP, Zahida Khan of ANP and Tahira Bukhari and Naeem Akhtar. The candidates for single minority seat were Amar Jeet Singh of ANP and Gulzari Lal of PML-Q.