The election on 52 Senate seats from four provinces, Federally Admini-stered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the federal capital will be held today (Saturday). One hundred and thirty-five candidates will contest for 52 Senate seats. Four lawmakers from the FATA, 11 members each from Khyber Pakhtun-khwa and Balochistan, 12 senators each from Punjab and Sindh and two members from the federal capital will be elected.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken several decisions to ensure vote privacy during the election. Polling will be started at 9:00am and will continue till 4:00pm. In the election, five candidates from Islamabad are contesting for two seats, 20 candidates from Punjab are vying for 12 seats, 33 candidates from Sindh for 12 seats, 26 from KPK for 11 seats, 23 from Balochistan for 11 seats while 24 are vying for four FATA seats. Over 1,600 ballot papers for Punjab, 800 for Sindh, 600 for KPK, 300 for Balochistan, 800 for Islamabad and 50 for FATA have been printed. Thirteen candidates are in the run for general seats. Similarly, eight candidates are contesting election on women's and five on technocrat seats.
All returning officers will have full powers of magistrates and can suspend the electoral process by bringing such elements into the notice of ECP. The returning officers will ensure that no voter reveals his/her choice. In case of non-compliance, the ballot paper will get cancelled. The Rangers or FC personnel will be deputed outside the polling stations.
The voters will not be allowed to bring their mobile phones during the Senate elections. They will also not be allowed to cast their votes without the secretariat card. The parliamentarians have been prohibited from taking their ballot papers outside the polling station. "The secrecy of votes will be ensured," the ECP said.
Regarding ballot papers, according to the code of conduct, the use of fake ballot paper will result in legal consequences. The returning officers will have the power to take immediate action if anyone is found taking ballot paper out of the station or handing it over to an unauthorized individual. The RO can also cancel the ballot paper altogether. The ROs will declare provisional results in the evening on the same day.
The ECP allowed media persons to cover the Senate elections. The ECP stated that it has directed the authorities to allow journalists to enter the Parliament to cover the Senate polls. The notification instructed reporters to cover the elections from the Press Gallery.