PM Imran Khan wants Senate deputy chairman to be elected from KP: sources

• PM Imran Khan has reportedly been pushing for Senate's deputy chairmanto be from KP.
• PTI's Mirza Afridi is the top favourite candidate for the post, sources say.
• Strategies to ensure success in the Senate were being formulated, says science minister Fawad Chaudhry.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has reportedly been pushing for the Senate's deputy chairman to be from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, sources in the PTI government informed Geo News on Wednesday.

With the government's consultations over its candidate for the post of Senate's deputy chairman underway, sources said PM Imran Khan has reportedly been urging for the ruling PTI'scontender to be the KP province.

PTI's Mirza Afridi is the top favourite candidate for the post, sources added, noting that the premier has directed allies to consult over Afridi, while Faisal Javed Khan, Ejaz Chaudhary, and Walid Iqbal are also in the running.

The regime's sources also underscored that a candidate who could secure votes from the coalition parties as well would be chosen. The nomination of Senate's deputy chairman would be made in consultation with the allies, they added.

In this regard, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the federal government would win the election of Senate's chairman and deputy chairman, adding that strategies to ensure success in the Senate are being formulated.

Chaudhry said there is still indecisiveness over the candidate for the post of the Senate's deputy chairman; however, a name would soon be revealed, he added, since consultations were underway in that regard.

The election of the Senate's chairman and deputy chairman are slated for March 12, with Sadiq Sanjarani the government's candidate for the post of the Senate's chairman.

The Opposition has put forward PPP leader Yousaf Raza Gillani and the JUI-F's Abdul Ghafoor Haideri as the candidates for the post of chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate, respectively.