Senate elections: Gilani defeats Sheikh in major upset

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani on Wednesday pulled off an upset to defeat finance minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the hotly-contested Senate elections.

Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and the former prime minister were seen shaking hands and hugging each other after the results were announced.

According to reports, Gilani bagged 169 votes while Sheikh was able to secure 164 votes. Six votes were rejected and one was not polled in Islamabad.

The two men embraced each other after Zain Qureshi told the duo about the victory of Gilani.

The result is being described as a huge upset for Prime Minister Imran Khan since he had personally campaigned for Shaikh and had managed to win over most of the government’s allies.

اللّہ تعالی کا شکر جس نے PDM کو فتح دی۔
جعلی مینڈیٹ عوام کے نمائندوں نے واپس چھین لیا-اپنے ہی لوگوں نے دباؤ کے باوجود آٹا چور،چینی چور،بجلی چور،ووٹ چور عوام کے مجرم عمران خان کو ووٹ دینے سے انکار کر دیا۔تمھارے پاس اب وزیر اعظم ہاؤس پر قابض رہنے کا کوئی جواز نہیں۔ووٹ چور کرسی چھوڑ

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) March 3, 2021

Senior analyst Mazhar Abbas told Geo that this was, in reality, a victory for former president Asif Ali Zardari and a loss for Prime Minister Imran Khan.