PTI's Waleed Iqbal, Seemi Ezdi Win Senate Poll

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidates Waleed Iqbal and Seemi Ezdi on Thursday emerged victorious from Punjab in Senate by-poll.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Nov, 2018 ) :Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidates Waleed Iqbal and Seemi Ezdi on Thursday emerged victorious from Punjab in Senate by-poll.

Waleed Iqbal grabbed general seat by securing 184 votes, while Seemi Ezdi won the reserved seat by obtaining 183 votes, according to unofficial results.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Saud Majeed got 176 and Sara Afzal Tarar 175 votes. Nine votes were declared invalid.

The two seats in the upper house of the parliament fell vacant due to de-notification of two lawmakers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Haroon Akhtar Khan and Saadia Abbasi as senators for holding dual nationality.

Earlier, polling for the Senate election on two seats from Punjab was carried out smoothly in the Punjab Assembly building from 9am to 4pm without any break.

Provincial Election Commissioner Zafar Iqbal Hussain performed as the Returning Officer. PML-N's Khalil Tahir Sindhu was the first to cast vote.

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar cast his vote for Senate poll. Amongst others who cast votes included Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Basharat Raja, opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, former Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, provincial ministers Abdul Aleem Khan, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Dr Yasim Rashid.

As per direction of Provincial Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), voters were not allowed to carry mobile phone or camera inside the polling station. The voters were allowed entries and cast the vote on showing the original Punjab Assembly card.

On announcement of the results, PTI lawmakers led by the winning senators-elect gathered at the stairs of the assembly, distributed sweets and chanted slogans to rejoice the victory of Waleed Iqbal and Seemi Azdi.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar felicitated the newly senators-elect Waleed iqbal and Seemi Ezdi and extended his good wishes to them. He said, the success of PTI's candidates in poll was a victory of policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also congratulated the newly-elect senators.