Unofficial Result: Rana Sanaullah Elected Senator with 250 Votes in Punjab By-Election
Lahore: In the Punjab Assembly by-election for a vacant Senate seat, unofficial results show that PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah has been elected senator after securing 250 votes.
The seat had fallen vacant following the disqualification of PTI leader Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry. Polling began in the Punjab Assembly hall under the supervision of Returning Officer Sharifullah and continued uninterrupted until 4 p.m.
According to the provincial election commissioner’s spokesperson, a candidate required 181.5 votes to win. PML-N and its allied parties had claimed support of 263 votes for Rana Sanaullah, while the opposition’s candidate, Salma Ejaz, had 100 votes backing her.
The voting took place in the new Punjab Assembly building, where members of the provincial assembly cast their ballots. Earlier, the Election Commission staff arrived at the assembly to finalize arrangements.
The opposition had announced a boycott of the election process. Deputy Opposition Leader Moeen Qureshi warned that any member casting a vote would be violating party policy. He added that withdrawal of nomination papers was no longer possible as the deadline had passed.
The Punjab Assembly currently has 371 members, of which 363 are present while 8 seats remain vacant. These include 6 PTI members who were disqualified and 2 who have yet to take oath.
In terms of party strength, PML-N holds 229 votes, PPP 16, IPP 7, and PML-Q 11. On the opposition side, the Sunni Ittehad Council has 73 votes and PTI 24, while TLP, PML-Zia, and MWM each hold one vote.
