KARACHI: In the Senate by-election held in the Sindh Assembly, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Waqar Mehdi won by securing 111 votes, while Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) candidate Nighat Mirza received 36 votes.
According to a private TV report, the by-election was held in the Sindh Assembly today for a Senate seat vacated due to the death of PPP leader Taj Haider. The PPP emerged victorious in the contest.
The Election Commission confirmed that PPP’s Waqar Mehdi won the Senate seat from Sindh with 111 votes.
Waqar Mehdi competed against MQM-Pakistan’s candidate, Nighat Mirza, who secured only 36 votes.
The Returning Officer, Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh, Aijaz Anwar Chauhan, announced the results, stating that a total of 149 votes were cast, of which 2 were rejected due to incorrect marking.
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It should be noted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami had announced a boycott of the election.
Earlier, a PPP delegation led by Nasir Hussain Shah met with MQM-Pakistan leaders and requested them to withdraw their candidate for the vacant Senate seat. However, after internal consultations, MQM-Pakistan declined to support the PPP in the election for the late Taj Haider’s Senate seat.
It may be noted that on April 8, senior PPP leader and veteran politician Senator Taj Haider passed away at the age of 84 after a brief illness. His funeral was held at the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine premises.
