Zardari tipped to become Pakistan president as PPP, PML-N enter into alliance: media
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) top leader Asif Ali Zardari is likely to be Pakistan's next president, a second term for him after his party agreed to ally with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to form a government at the Centre, according to media reports here.
"If the situation remains unchanged, the country will see the PML-N's prime minister and the PPP's president," The News International reported on Wednesday, quoting sources amid talks of a quid pro quo arrangement between the PML-N and PPP.
After the February 8 polls produced a split mandate, there has been no government in place in the country for almost a week now. With none of the major parties gaining a clear majority, Pakistan was staring at a coalition government.
As part of the PML-N and PPP alliance, Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, is expected to become Pakistan's next prime minister.
The coming together of these two parties meant that the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) would not be able to assume power despite the independent candidates it backed won the maximum number of seats in the National Assembly.
PPP president Zardari, 68, served as the President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013.
The current Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi is scheduled to relinquish his post later this month.
The PML-N on Tuesday night nominated 72-year-old Shehbaz as the prime ministerial candidate instead of the party supremo and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif. The 74-year-old veteran politician, who was seeking a record fourth term as prime minister, returned to Pakistan in October last year after ending a self-imposed exile in the UK.
The PML-N and PPP have been joined by the MQM-P, PML-Q, IPP, and BAP to form a coalition government in the Centre on the pattern of the last government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
A press conference was held by all top leaders where they fielded various questions related to the government formation.
To a question on the constitutional posts of National Assembly speaker, Senate chairman and president, the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the party would decide its nominees for these posts but he wanted Asif Ali Zardari to become president "because the country is burning and if anyone can help put the fire out, it is Asif Ali Zardari."
The leadership of PML-N has agreed to support Zardari for the post of president in return for PPP's support to Shehbaz for the PM's post, The News International reported quoting sources in the know.
Besides the presidency, according to the sources, PPP is also eyeing the post of Balochistan chief minister and party leader Sarfraz Bugti briefed his party on the province's political situation, as per sources, The News International reported.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
