The Election Commission of Pakistan is allotting electoral symbols to candidates contesting by-elections for 23 national and provincial assembly seats, ARY News reported on Saturday.
On Thursday, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) issued a seven-page verdict on the application regarding the issuance of orders for administering oaths to the lawmakers and the suspension of the Senate election till the administration of oaths to the extent of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Opposition members alleged that the government wanted to deprive the women and minority members, elected on reserved seats and notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan, of voting in the Senate polls scheduled to be held in April.
According to Imran Khan, the Election Commission of Pakistan, a few political parties and the 'establishment' "sabotaged the plan to bring in electronic voting.".
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold the Senate election in April to fill the 48 seats that fell vacant upon the expiration of the six-year term of the incumbent senators last week.
The Senate elections are scheduled for April 2, with 48 vacant seats up for grabs across the National Assembly, Senate, and the four provincial assemblies. The deadline for submitting nomination papers is today, March 16.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser on Friday said his party would "merge" with the Sunni Ittehad Council if the Election Commission of Pakistan accepted its recent intra-party polls and returned its electoral symbol of 'bat', Dawn reported.
In this electoral process, the Balochistan Assembly will have the authority to elect 11 Senators, comprising seven for general seats, two for women, and two for technocrats.