PESHAWAR: A serious question is being raised within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) i.e. when the party has 92 members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and only 19 votes are required to elect a senator on a general seat, why PTI nominated candidates for only four Senate seats when the fifth general seat could have been easily won as well.
According to the numbers, PTI needs 76 votes to secure four general seats, leaving the party with 18 surplus votes. Analysts believe that if these 18 votes had been used, PTI could have easily secured a fifth senator through the transfer of preferential votes, as candidates from other parties would have given their second and third preference votes to PTI’s nominee. This would have allowed the PTI to win an additional general seat. The question remains, why was this seat deliberately left vacant? So what game is being played in the province?
This has intensified internal rifts within the party, and the disgruntled members have refused to withdraw, which could cost the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf another Senate seat.
Sources suggest two possible reasons for this decision. First, the move appears to be aimed at facilitating the opposition so that one of its candidates can make it to the Senate. This seat is likely to go to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Talha Mahmood, who was in dire need of votes to win on a general seat. The second reason is believed to be PTI’s internal divisions and groupings. According to sources, Ali Amin Gandapur feared that if the election was contested, some PTI lawmakers might break ranks. Therefore, the government insisted on uncontested elections and agreed to give the opposition one additional general seat.
It is also worth noting that there are 35 independent members in the assembly, who are not bound by any floor-crossing restrictions.
Numbers further indicate that the opposition has 53 members in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. If they field two candidates, each could secure approximately 19 votes, which is enough for two seats. However, for a third seat, they would be left with only 15 votes, four short of the required 19. This means that Talha Mahmood, the opposition’s third candidate, had almost no chance of winning without horse-trading. The opposition’s first priority is JUI’s Abdul Haq, followed by Niaz Muhammad, while Talha Mahmood ranks third.
Now, with an agreement between the government and the opposition for uncontested Senate elections, Talha Mahmood’s path to the Senate has become much easier because he enjoys the support of both the government and opposition. If PTI had fielded a fifth candidate, it would have been nearly impossible for Talha Mahmood to win and he would have faced a tough battle. According to sources, Talha Mahmood successfully convinced both the government and opposition to back him, which is why the government is avoiding putting forward its fifth candidate.
This decision has sparked serious questions in political circles and is expected to be debated further in the coming days.
Speaking to The News, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said, “Tomorrow, groups will be formed, and within each group, MPAs will cast their votes for senators at first, second, and third priority. PTI members will vote for PTI candidates, while the opposition will support its own nominees.”
He added that efforts were made to appease disgruntled members, but they refused to cooperate.
“Now the party will decide what action will be taken against them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Dr Ibad, while speaking to The News, said, “We will form our panel and the government will form its own. If PTI candidates do not withdraw, the entire loss will fall on the government i.e. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The opposition’s seats will remain at five.”
He added that they would withdraw their additional candidates in line with the agreement.
“Since we have an agreement with the government, we will fully honour it and will not field any extra candidate for the Senate seat,” Dr Ibad said. He said the opposition’s strategy was successful in securing five seats, including three general seats and one each for the women’s and technocrat categories.
