Gillani wins, thanks to rejected votes.

ISLAMABAD -- In a major setback for the ruling alliance led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement's joint candidate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani Wednesday clinched the Senate seat from Islamabad as rejected votes played a key role in his victory.

Gilani pulled off the seemingly impossible win in 2021 Senate election with a margin of five votes by securing 169 votes against PTI-led ruling alliance's candidate Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh who got 164 votes.

The rejected seven votes played a major role in the victory of the opposition candidate from the present 341-member National Assembly - the electoral college for Senate seats from Islamabad, where ruling alliance has a majority in the house with total 181 votes if two independents are counted in its side. All opposition parties have the strength of 160 members.

The seven rejected votes played a crucial role in the victory of Gilani as the margin of the votes rejected surpassed from the margin of votes of victory. A single member of the Jamaat-e-Islami Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali abstained from voting and thus total 340 votes were polled in the Senate election held in the NA hall.

According to the official sources of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the rejected votes were either ticked or marked with the signs of dash or the preference one had been left vacant. Only a single rejected vote polled by PTI MNA and Chairman Kashmir Committee Shehryar Afridi could be identified who himself gave an application to the returning officer that he mistakenly signed the ballot paper instead of giving a preference and he should be issued a new ballot paper to cast his vote again - an appeal that was rejected by the ECP.

But, PTI candidate Fozia Arshad clinched the Senate seat allocated for women from Islamabad by securing...