PESHAWAR, Mar 03 : Polling for 12 Senate seats was started in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly here on Wednesday.
Polling began at 9 a.m. and would continue till 5p.m without break in KP Assembly that has been declared as polling station for Senate election by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
ECP has made all necessary arrangements for holding free, fair and transparent Senate election.
After opinion of the Supreme Court, election was being held through secret balloting procedure.
As many as 23 candidates are in run for 12 Senate seats whose fate would be decided by 145 members of the KP Assembly today.
As many as 10 candidates are contesting on seven general seats, five on two technocrat seats, four on two women reserved seats and four candidates on one non-Muslim seat in KP.
The candidates who are in run for seven general seats including Syed Shibli Faraz (PTI), Taj Muhammad Afridi (Balochistan Awami Party BAP), Zeeshan Khanzada (PTI), Abbas Afridi (PMLN), Attaur Rehman son of Gohar Rehman (Jumaat Islami), Ataur Rehman son of Maulana Mufti Mehmood (JUIP), Faisal Saleem Rehman (PTI), Liaqat Khan Tarkai (PTI), Mohsin Aziz (PTI) and Hidayatullah Khan (ANP).
Five candidates, who are trying their luck on two technocrat seats includes Dost Muhammad Khan (PTI), Shaukat Jamal Ameerzada (ANP), Farhatullab Babar (PPPP), Muhammad Iqbal Khalil (Jumaat Islami) and Muhammad Hamayun Mohmand (PTI).
For two women reserved seats, four candidates are in the run including Tasleem Begum (ANP), Sania Nishtar (PTI), Inayat Begium ( JIP) and Falak Naz ( PTI).
Four candidates are in run for one non-Muslim seat include Asif Bhatti (ANP), Javed Gill (JIP), Ranjeet Singh (JUIP) and Gurdeep Singh (PTI).
As per seats position in KP Assembly having 145 MPAs, PTI has a total of 94 MPAs, JUIP 15, Jumat Islami 3, ANP 12, PML-N 7, PPPP 5, PML one, four each of BAP and independents.
The entry of visitors in KP Assembly were restricted due to polling and counting of votes would start soon after 5p.m.
