*LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam’s (PML-Q) Chaudhry PervaizElahi has been elected as speaker of the Punjab Assembly* with 201 votes.
Atleast 15 member forward bloc has emerged in Punjab. Chaudhry’s fromPunjab claim to take revenge from Sharif brothers as they had formed aforward bloc in PML Q consisting of 42 members in 2008 Punjab Assembly.
Mr Elahi, who was the candidate of PTI-led coalition, secured 201 voteswhereas his contender, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar, bagged 145votes.
Eearlier, ruckus broke out when a woman lawmaker, who belonged to the PTI,showed off her ballot as she cast vote, which angered the PML-N members whogathered in front of the speaker’s dias, demanding that her vote becancelled.
Outgoing speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, hence, cancelled Sadiqa Sahibdad’svote because of the protest as he kept instructing protesting lawmakers totake their seats but to no avail.
At the outset, the PA session witnessed pandemonium as the PTI and PML-Nmembers chanted slogans against each other.
The PTI has fielded MPA Dost Mohammad Mazari as its candidate for the slotof deputy speaker of the legislature.
Yesterday, the inaugural session of the Punjab Assembly was held in whichelected members of the provincial legislature took oath.
In the house of 371 members Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s 179 MPAs, 164members of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and 10 members of Pakistan MuslimLeague Quaid took oath of their office, in addition to seven MPAs-elect ofPakistan Peoples Party and three independent candidates also sworn in.
Among overall 371 seats of Punjab Assembly 297 members are elected bydirect election, while 66 seats of the legislature are reserved for womenand eight seats reserved for religious minorities.
The assembly has presently 365 members elected in July 25 elections, whilethe result of three constituencies has been withheld by the electioncommission. Moreover, elections could not be held at three other seats dueto death of a candidate or some other reason.
After the election for speaker and deputy speaker of the house, the newchief minister will be elected through secret balloting.