Rana Sanaullah of PML-N Wins Senate By-Election in Punjab

📊 Election Results

Victory Margin: Rana Sanaullah, PML-N senior leader and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, won the Senate by-election from Punjab with 250 votes out of 251 cast. One vote was rejected .
Opposition Boycott: The opposition, led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), boycotted the polling. Their candidate, Salma Ijaz (wife of disqualified PTI senator Ejaz Chaudhry), received zero votes .
Required Threshold: Sanaullah needed 181 votes to win and comfortably surpassed this number .

📅 Context and Background

Vacant Seat: The Senate seat became vacant after PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry was disqualified following his 10-year prison sentence by an anti-terrorism court for involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots .
Legal Challenges: Chaudhry challenged his disqualification and the election schedule in the Lahore High Court, which allowed the election to proceed but subject to the court’s final verdict .
PTI’s Stance: PTI boycotted the election, citing a lack of trust in the process and calling it “fraudulent.” Imran Khan directed party members not to participate .

🏛️ Political Dynamics

Government Coalition Strength: The ruling PML-N-led alliance claimed support from over 260 members in the 363-member Punjab Assembly. PML-N alone holds 229 seats, with additional support from PPP, PML-Q, and others .
Opposition Weakness: The opposition, including Sunni Ittehad Council (73 seats) and PTI (24 seats), lacked the numbers to challenge the government candidate even without the boycott .
Leadership Presence: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Provincial Information Minister Azma Bukhari were present at the assembly to vote for Sanaullah .

🗣️ Reactions

Rana Sanaullah: Criticized PTI for “escaping the democratic process” and expressed confidence in the government’s majority .
Azma Bukhari (PML-N): Claimed PTI boycotted because it could not find candidates willing to compete against PML-N .
PTI: Justified the boycott as a protest against the disqualification of its lawmakers and alleged electoral unfairness .

📜 Historical Note

Rana Sanaullah previously served as Interior Minister in the PDM government and Law Minister under Shehbaz Sharif’s Punjab chief ministership. He lost the February 2024 general election from Faisalabad but now returns to parliament via the Senate .

💎 Conclusion

The by-election underscores PML-N’s dominance in Punjab and PTI’s strategic withdrawal from electoral processes amid ongoing legal and political challenges. The outcome reinforces the government’s coalition strength while highlighting the opposition’s disillusionment with institutional processes.