Balochistan, Islamabad seats have become a real battleground in Senate polls.

ISLAMABAD -- Contrary to the fact that political parties have shown a rare consensus to get elected all 11 senators in the largest Punjab province unopposed, Balochistan and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have become a real battleground for larger and smaller parties for the crucial March 3 polls of the upper house of Parliament.

The treasury and the opposition parties both have boosted their election campaigns to ensure that either they don't lose seats of their due share according to the present strength in the assemblies or to get more, through secret balloting, to enhance their chances of bringing their own chairman Senate.

But the apex court has yet to announce its reserved verdict on the Presidential reference seeking open voting for the Senate polls-a judgment that may put to rest all efforts of those parties who are struggling to get seats more than their due share from the cake.

The consensus that was witnessed in Punjab is invisible in other provinces and refutes claims of some political analysts that many investors of the opposition parties are ready to purchase votes of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the province. Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has reportedly played his role convincing both opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to withdraw their respective candidates that were more than their proportional strength in the provincial assembly. PTI has already given one seat to his party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), from its share- a reason that might have convinced seasoned politician from Gujrat to develop a consensus and ensure that PTI could get exact number of seats according to its strength in the provincial assembly.

On the other side, Balochistan and ICT have become major battlefields for the political parties and independents to contest the Senate polls followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

According to the final list issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as many 32 candidates are contesting for 12 seats of Senate election from Balochistan. This is the highest number of contesting candidates from any province as compared to other three provinces. Out of 32 candidates, 16 candidates are contesting on seven general seats, four on two seats reserved for technocrats, eight on two seats reserved for women and four for one seat reserved for non-Muslims.

Balochistan Assembly has the smallest number of lawmakers than any other...