PPP tasks senators to woo govt allies for Gillani's win

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Thursday has tasked its senators to contact the government allies to gain support for PDM’s joint candidate Yousuf Raza Gillani for the Senate chairmanship slot, ARY News reported, citing sources.

The Senate will elect a new chairman and the deputy chairman of the house tomorrow.

Gearing up the campaign to ensure Yousuf Raza Gillani’s success as chairman Senate, the PPP has asked its Senators to establish contacts with the lawmakers of the federal govt’s allied parties by utilizing the personal contacts.

It was learned by ARY News that the PPP has contacted two independent Senators from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and sought their support in the Senate chairmanship elections.

Meanwhile, the Senators have borrowed the time from the PPP to think about the offer, well-informed sources confirmed.

It is to be mentioned here that the Senate would elect its chairman and deputy chairman through secret ballot after oath-taking of 48 newly elected members of Upper House of the Parliament on Friday (tomorrow).

According to the Senate Secretariat, the session would meet in the morning for oath-taking of the newly elected senators after which the session will be adjourned.

After the adjournment of the session, nomination papers for the chairman and deputy chairman would be submitted.

Later, the session would resume in the evening the same day to elect the chairman and deputy chairman of the Upper House. Names of the candidates would be announced during the meeting and later a secret ballot will be held.

The names of winning candidates for the slots of chairman and deputy chairman would be announced after which they will also take the oath.