ISLAMABAD: Polling for Senate elections 2021 Wednesday concluded to elect two senators out of four candidates against general and women seats.

Polling started at the hall of National Assembly (NA) at 9 a.m. and continued till 5 p.m. without a halt.

The Election Commission of Pakistan gave special powers equivalent to a magistrate to the returning officer (RO) to counter any untoward situation.

Former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Minister for Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh are contesting elections against general seat in the Senate from the federal capital. Likewise, Farzana Kausar from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Fozia Arshad from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are contesting on woman seat from Islamabad.

After close of the poll, the RO will now in the presence of contesting candidates or their agents as may be present, close the slit for insertion of ballot paper of each ballot box. However, it will not be necessary to seal the slit if the counting of votes is to begin immediately after close of the poll.

The RO shall, after notice to the contesting candidates, or, as the case may be, agents as to the time and place of counting, open the ballot boxes in the presence of the contesting candidates and their agents as may be present.

The RO will now proceed to count the ballot papers taken out there from and record their number in a statement.

The RO will scrutinize the ballot papers taken out of the ballot boxes and to separate the ballot papers which he deems valid from those which he rejects.