KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate for the general seat of Senate Waqr Mehdi won the by-election held on Tuesday (today), according to unofficial results.
Waqar Mehdi got 111 votes to win the seat, while his opponent, Nighat Mirza of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), lacked the required votes to win the election.
Two of Mehdi’s votes were declared rejected. Nevertheless, the PPP nominee comfortably crossed the required threshold of 81 votes needed to secure the Senate seat.
The seat was vacant after the demise of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ‘s veteran Senator Taj Haider.
Earlier, the voting started at 09 am in the morning and ended at 04 pm in the evening without any breaks.
The People’s Party, Sindh’s ruling party, holds a majority in the provincial assembly. With 116 members, and the MQM-P has 36 members.
Independent lawmakers supported by the PTI have declared their intention to boycott the poll.
Shabbir Ali Qureshi, the PTI’s legislative leader in the assembly, has said that none of his party’s MPs will participate in the vote.
