LAHORE: Voting is underway to elect speaker of the Punjab Assembly amid protest by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers.
Ruckus broke out when a woman lawmaker, who belonged to the PTI, showed off her ballot as she cast vote, which angered the PML-N members who gathered in front of the speaker’s dias, demanding that her vote be cancelled.
Outgoing speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, hence, cancelled Sadiq Sahib Dada’s vote because of the protest as he kept instructing protesting lawmakers to take their seats but to no avail.
The arch-rivals – PTI and PML-N – have set their sights on the provincial legislature’s top posts.
PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the joint candidate of PTI-led coalition, is contesting the election for the slot of speaker of the house against PML-N’s Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar.
The PTI has fielded MPA Dost Mohammad Mazari as its candidate for the slot of deputy speaker of the legislature.
Yesterday, the inaugural session of the Punjab Assembly was held in which elected members of the provincial legislature took oath.
In the house of 371 members Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s 179 MPAs, 164 members of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and 10 members of Pakistan Muslim League Quaid took oath of their office, in addition to seven MPAs-elect of Pakistan Peoples Party and three independent candidates also sworn in.
Among overall 371 seats of Punjab Assembly 297 members are elected by direct election, while 66 seats of the legislature are reserved for women and eight seats reserved for religious minorities.
The assembly has presently 365 members elected in July 25 elections, while the result of three constituencies has been withheld by the election commission. Moreover, elections could not be held at three other seats due to death of a candidate or some other reason.
After the election for speaker and deputy speaker of the house, the new chief minister will be elected through secret balloting.
PML-N has nominated Hamza Shehbaz Sharif for the office of Punjab chief minister. The PTI is yet to announce its nominee for the post.
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