The chances of the ruling PML-N to win the Senate chairman election as compared to the PPP, seem to be high, after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) refused to support Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's nominees for top slot of the Parliament's upper house.
The ruling PML-N sources are confident with 33 seats in 104-member Senate and support of the allied parties and the independents, the party would be in a much better position to elect its own chairman and deputy chairman even if 12 PTI senators opt to abstain from the voting process.
The sources said the role of the PTI senators would be critical for both PML-N and PPP after former president Asif Ali Zardari turned down the offer of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif to nominate Raza Rabbani as the consensus candidate for the top Senate position.
Contrary to the numerical situation in the House, the PML-N, which has 33 senators and is also backed by its coalition partners, is claiming to have mustered the support of 58 senators. PPP is also claiming to have 59 senators on its side amid continued lobbying being pursued by the three major parties. Efforts for the coveted position of chairman Senate began soon after the March 3 elections, as no party has secured simple majority in the Senate. The PML-N, which managed to strengthen its position with its 33 senators, is also enjoying support of 5 each senators of National Party and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, one of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and three independents from FATA.
The PPP, which dominated the Upper House with the support of the opposition parties including PTI and independents, is upbeat to retain its hold on the House for another three-year term. After having won 12 Senate seats, PPP is not party of 20 senators. The PPP sources insisted the party is still optimistic to get the support of 12 votes of PTI, 4 of JUI-F, 12 independents [six new senators-elect from Balochistan plus a sitting independent senator from the province and five from FATA], two of Jamaat-e-Islami and one each by ANP and Balochistan National Party-Mengal.
On the other hand, PPP is also believed to have lost the support of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's five senators, as the MQM-P retaliated in the wake of alleged horse-trading in Sindh Assembly due to which it had to lose three Senate seats in the recently-held Senate elections. The sources said senior MQM-P leaders had decided not to support PPP, fearing that any further division within the party ranks would only benefit its rival. PML-N leader Senator Mushahidullah Khan along with Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair held a meeting with Bahadurabad-based senior MQM-P leaders in Karachi to get their support for PML-N's nominee for the top slot of chairman Senate. A senior PML-N leader said that the MQM-P leadership has assured them of their full support as the party is not happy over the recent horse-trading in the Senate elections, adding if the MQM-P would support the PPP despite all this, it would be nothing but a political suicide for the party.