PPP, MQM candidates eye unopposed victory

KARACHI - All the eleven Senate candidates from Sindh, 8 of PPP and 3 of MQM are likely to be elected unopposed, as no other candidate has filed nomination papers on the last date of submission of the nominations here on Friday. The ruling PPP is poised to bag 8 Senate seats from the province that includes five general seats, two seats of technocrats and one on women reserve seats. Its coalition partner MQM will clinch three seats, two general and one women reserve seats. The elections for the senate seats are set for March 04. However, in view of that no other candidate in the filed in the Sindh, all those candidates who had filed nomination would be stand elected unopposed. The Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, minister, MNAs, MPAs and other office bearers submitted nomination papers of eight PPP candidates with the provincial election commission office. A large number of jubilant PPP workers had arrived at the provincial election commission office to witness the submission of nomination papers by their party candidates. The unorganized PPP activists crowded the election office and some of them indulged in vandalizing the office furniture. In the rush glass windowpanes were also broken. The eight candidates of the ruling PPP candidates, who have filed their nomination papers on Friday, include Rehman Malik, and Farooq H. Naek for technocrat reserved seats, Dr. Khatumal Jewan, Maula Bux Chandio, Faisal Raza Abidi, Gul Mohammad Lat, Islamuddin Sheikh for general seats while Mrs Almas Parveen filed her nomination paper for women reserved seats. Babar Ghori, Abdul Haseeb Khan and Mrs Sherala Nishat Malik of MQM had submitted their nomination papers on Thursday. However, the former ruling party PML-Q has failed to submit a single nomination paper for senate election, despite that the three senator s of the party will retired on March 11, 2009 at the completion of their tenure. The incumbent chairman senate Mian Mohammad Soomro is one of those who retired from Senate.

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