The by-election on the vacant declared seats of the Punjab assembly will take place on 17 July, announced the election commission of Pakistan. Earlier, the election commission had de-seated 25 MPAs of the PTI for defying party directives and voting for Hamza Shehbaz for the post of the Punjab chief minister on May 20.
The reference against the dissident PTI members of the Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi was accepted by the election commission on for violating Article 63-A which pertains to defection. The most-awaited decision had gained political weightage in the wake of the Supreme Court’s verdict on a presidential reference, seeking its interpretation of Article 63-A, related to the disqualification of lawmakers over defection.
Read more: Hamza Shehbaz elected Punjab CM after garnering 197 votes …
The by elections will be held in the constituencies of PP-7, PP-83, PP-90, PP-97, PP-125, PP-127, PP-140, PP-158, PP-167, PP-168, PP-170, PP-202, PP-217, PP-224, PP-228, PP-237, PP-272, PP-273, PP-282 Layyah and PP-288.
Read more: ECP de-seats 25 dissident MPAs of PTI – Global Village Space
The nomination papers for the candidates will be accepted from June 4 to 7 and will be scrutinized on June 11. The election tribunal will decide on the appeals by June 21, while nomination papers can be withdrawn by June 23.
The by-election on the important 20 vacant seats will decide the fate of the newly elected chief minister Punjab Humza Shehbaz Sharif as he has lost the majority after the disqualification of the defected 25 members. Currently, no party possesses the required numbers mandatory to maintain the majority in the Punjab assembly. To be elected as chief minister, a candidate needs at least 186 votes in the 371-member house. In the Punjab Assembly. In the previously held election for the Chief Minister election, the current CM Punjab took 197 votes which has been decreased to 172. It clearly6 shows that currently no party has the required majority to form government in Punjab.