PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: The schedule for elections on 11 vacant Senate seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been issued.
As per the schedule, elections for 7 general, 2 technocrat and 2 women seats will be held on 21 July. A total of 145 members of the provincial assembly will cast their votes to elect new senators.
After the allocation of reserved seats to the opposition, PTI is expected to suffer a major blow in these elections, possibly losing at least three previously confirmed seats. The total strength of opposition members in the 145-member assembly has increased from 28 to 53, while PTI and its allied independents hold 92 seats.
If the reserved seats had not been allocated to the opposition parties, they would have secured only one general seat. Now, they will get three additional seats.
To win a general seat, 19 votes are needed, whereas 49 votes are required for success on technocrat and women seats. As a result, PTI is likely to win 7 seats in total — 5 general, 1 technocrat and 1 woman seat. On the other hand, opposition parties are expected to win 4 seats.
The 11 Senate seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been lying vacant for the past 17 months. After the expiry of the six-year term of 11 senators in March 2024, new elections were not held until now. The senators who retired in March 2024 included Faisal Javed, Fida Muhammad, Azam Swati, Shaukat Tarin and Mehr Taj Roghani from PTI, Behramand Tangi and Rubina Khalid from PPP, Pir Sabir Shah from PMLN and independent senator Dilawar Khan.
In addition, Senator Ayub Afridi resigned from the Senate on 23 November 2023 after being appointed as an adviser to the prime minister. His seat was later filled in a by-election by Shaukat Tarin.
Even before the nomination process for the 21 July Senate elections begins, political contacts and behind-the-scene deals have started. ANP has invited applications from interested candidates, and important decisions are expected next week from PTI and other opposition parties as well.
Meanwhile, yhe Election Commission of Pakistan Friday issued a notification for the conduct of polls for seven general, two seats each of women and technocrat/ulema of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the Senate on July 21.
According to the Election Commission, the polling will be held in the provincial assembly building of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 9am to 4pm. A notification has also been issued to fill Senate seat, which had fallen vacant due to resignation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Dr Sania Nishtar last year.
An ECP spokesman said that letters have also been sent to the Speakers of the National and Provincial Assemblies for the oath-taking of the members of the National and Provincial Assemblies for whom the Election Commission had issued a notification on July 2, 2025, on reserved seats, so that they can assume their responsibilities and cast their votes in the Senate elections of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
It may be recalled that the Election Commission had postponed the above elections on April 2, 2024 due to the Speaker not taking the oath of office of the members elected to the KP provincial assembly on the reserved seats and as a result the electoral college being incomplete.
“ln pursuance of the order dated 2nd April, 2024 passed by the Election Commission of Pakistan and in partial modification to this Commission’s Notification No. F.No.3(1)12024- Coord,(M/F) dated 14th March, 2024, the Election Commission hereby postpones the poll date for the Senate Election-2024 to the extent of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, till further orders, says the notification.
The latest notification says, “In continuation of earlier notification dated 2no April, 2024, whereby poll date for conduct of Senate Election from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province against seven general seats, two women seats and two seats for technocrats including Ulema was postponed, the Election Commission of Pakistan, hereby appoints 21s July, 2025 as poll date for the conduct of said Senate Election”.
The Election Commission has issued an election programme for the elections to the seat vacated by Dr Nishtar from the Senate, according to which the public notice will be on July 9, 2025, the date for submission of nomination papers will be on July 10 and 11, the scrutiny of nomination papers will be on July 16 and the polling will be on July 31. PTI’s former lawmaker had resigned in October last year but her seat was declared vacant on March 10 this year.
Moreover, a notification has also been issued regarding the various stages of the election for the seat, which fell vacant due to demise of PMLN Senator Prof Sajid Mir, which was postponed due to incomplete electoral college.
As per the ECP, the Returning Officer will issue the revised list of candidates on July 15, 2025 and nomination papers can be withdrawn by July 16, 2025 and polling will be held on July 21, 2025 in the Punjab Assembly Building.
In addition, the election schedule has also been issued for two vacant seats reserved for women of the PMLN from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the National Assembly. According to which the Returning Officer will issue a public notice on July 8, whereas nomination papers may be submitted on July 9 and 10; scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on July 14 and the final list of candidates will be issued on July 24. The priority list of the PML-N has been exhausted, so it must be submitted to the priority list counting officer by July 10.
