Polling underway in Punjab Assembly for vacant Senate seat

Voting for the Senate seat vacated after the disqualification of PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhry is currently underway in the Punjab Assembly, with government-backed candidate Rana Sanaullah emerging as the frontrunner.

Ejaz Chaudhry was disqualified following his conviction in cases related to damaging government property, military installations, and martyrs’ memorials during the PTI protests of May 9, 2023.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and the Election Commission terminated his membership in July 2025.

The opposition has fielded Chaudhry’s wife, Salma Ijaz, as its candidate. She has the support of 100 votes, including 73 from Sunni Ittehad Council, 24 from PTI, and one each from Tehreek-e-Labbaik, Muslim League Zia, and Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen. However, the opposition has announced a boycott of the voting process.

The government alliance, comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Iqbal Pakistan Party, and PML-Q, has nominated Rana Sanaullah for the seat. Sanaullah enjoys the backing of 263 votes, comfortably above the 180 votes required to win.

The PML-N contributes 229 votes, PPP 16, Iqbal Pakistan Party 7, and PML-Q 11 votes, consolidating a clear majority in the Punjab Assembly.