Senate chairman election: PPP challenges returning officer's ruling in Islamabad court

• PPP asks Islamabad High Court to overturn returning officer's  ruling and declare Yousaf Raza Gillani the Senate chairman. 
• Party wants IHC to declare the seven votes cast in favour of Gillani legal.
• The plea was filed by Farooq H Naek on behalf of Senator Gillani.

The PPP challenged on Monday the returning officer’s (RO) decision on the Senate chairman election in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The plea was filed by Farooq H Naek on behalf of Senator Yousaf Raza Gillani. He appealed to the court to declare the seven votes cast in favour of the PPP candidate legal and approve him as the Senate chairman.

In the petition, Gillani told the court that seven votes cast in his favour were rejected by the RO during the election for the Senate chairman. The petition reads that the RO’s order to declare the votes illegal should be overturned.

Read more: Sadiq Sanjrani triumphs over Yousaf Raza Gillani in Senate election

Earlier this month, Sadiq Sanjrani, the PTI-led government's candidate, won a knife-edge Senate chairman election over Gillani, fielded by the Opposition parties' anti-government coalition under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) banner.

Sanjrani received 48 votes, while Gillani bagged 42. Eight of the 98 votes in total were rejected, including those that had a stamp on both names.

The PPP had already announced that it would challenge the RO's ruling in court. 

Read more: PPP to approach IHC against rejection of votes in Senate chairman election

During the Senate election, PDM's Gillani had emerged as the victor from his Islamabad seat, beating Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh — associated with the ruling PTI — in what was arguably the most-watched contest.

Gillani had bagged 169 votes, whereas Shaikh got 164. One vote had not been cast.