ISLAMABAD: PTI’s candidate, Sadiq Sanjrani has taken an oath as Senate Chairman for the second time after he defeated Yousaf Raza Gilani by 6 votes.
According to the Presiding officer (PO), Sadiq Sanjrani received 48 votes, while Yousaf Raza Gillani received 42 votes.
Seven votes for Yousaf Raza Gilani were rejected by the presiding officer, raising suspicions about the neutrality of the voting process.
A total of 98 senators voted in the election.
The opposition challenged the result of the election after it was announced that seven votes cast in favour of opposition candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani were rejected.
However, presiding officer Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah overruled their objection, saying the seven votes were rejected because they were not stamped correctly.
Earlier, spy cameras had been found in the polling booth, allegedly to distort the sanctity of the secret ballot.
Sources claim that Sadiq Sanjrani had been present inside Senate premises till 5.30 AM on 12 March.
PTI leaders congratulated Sanjrani for his victory but critics questioned the fairness of the process.
Voting for Deputy Chairman Senate is currently underway.
Sanjrani thanked the members of the Senate, adding that he is particularly grateful to the PTI leadership.
“I would especially like to thanks Imran Khan and Pervaiz Khattak,” the newly-elected Senate chairman said.
Another vote was rejected because it had been cast in favour of both the candidates.
Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (PPP) and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri (JUI-F) were fielded by the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as its joint candidates for the posts of chairman and deputy chairman, respectively.
Meanwhile, the government supported the outgoing Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani as the candidate for chairman. On Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan nominated Senator Mirza Mohammad Afridi for the post of deputy chairman.
