Polling for 30 Senate seats has begun following the unopposed election of 18 senators from Punjab and Balochistan.
There are up to 59 candidates running for the Senate.
Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) concluded all preparations for the countrywide Senate elections slated for Tuesday (today).
Voting in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies began at 9 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m.
Polling is underway in the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Sindh.
The procedure aims to elect two senators from Islamabad, five from Punjab, and twelve from Sindh. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday postponed Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after opposition members filed a plea seeking postponement due to a stand-off with the provincial government over the oath-taking of MPAs-elect on the reserved seats.
The election is being held for one general and one technocrat seat in the federal capital, two women seats, two technocrat/ulema seats, and one non-Muslim seat in Punjab. Similarly, Sindh will have elections for seven general, two women, two technocrats/ulema, and one non-Muslim seat.
Furthermore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is scheduled to hold elections for seven general, two women, and two technocrat positions.
The elections are set for 29 general seats: eight for women, nine for technocrats and ulemas, and two for non-Muslims.
Ballot papers in four distinct colors have been created for the Senate elections. White papers will be used for general seats, green for technocrat seats, pink for female seats, and yellow for minority seats. The conveyance of electoral materials to returning officers is complete. Returning officers have already released the final candidate list.
According to the ECP, 147 applicants filed nomination papers for the empty seats. Of these, 18 have been elected unopposed, with seven coming from Punjab's general seats.
Similarly, in Balochistan, senators for seven general seats, two women seats, and two ulema/technocrat seats were elected without any opposition.