KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party’s Dr Khalida Sikandar Mandhro on Wednesday emerged victorious on a Senate technocrat seat from Sindh by bagging 97 out of total 168 votes.

The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had fielded its candidate but boycotted the election at the eleventh hour.

Other opposition parties — Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Grand Democratic Alliance, Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal abstained from the polling held at the Sindh Assembly Building on Wednesday.

The Senate seat from Sindh had fallen vacant after the demise of PPP’s Dr Sikandar Mendhro and the party had fielded his widow, Dr Khalida for the polls.

The returning officer, provincial Election Commissioner Ijaz Anwer Chuhan, announced that the by-election on the vacant seat held smoothly and 97, out of total 168 members, cast their votes. “Dr Khalida Sikandar Mandhro received all 97 votes,” he added.

As many as 94, out of total 99, PPP lawmakers, including Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and acting Governor and Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, exercised their right of vote.

Three PTI dissident members — Aslam Abro, Shehryar Shar and Karim Bakhsh Gabol — also cast their votes in favour of Dr Khalida.

PPP sources said that five PPP members — Sharmila Farooqi, Ejaz Shah Bukhari, Dr Azra Pechuho, Ismail Rahu and Ali Nawaz Mehr — did not cast their votes for different reasons.

They said that Sharmila Farooqi was currently in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj, so she could not cast her vote.

The chief minister was the last member to cast vote in the by-election.

Expressing satisfaction over the polling process, the provincial election commissioner said that the polling process was conducted in a calm manner. He said that the Sindh Assembly has 168 members out of which 97 cast their votes.

The election commissioner said that Dr Khalida Mandhro got all 97 votes and none of the votes was rejected.

In response to a question, he said, “I don’t know which dissident members have cast their votes,” and added that the polling was held in accordance with the voters list.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2022