ISLAMABAD: Opposition candidate Sadiq Sanjrani has won the election for theslot of Chairman Senate as per the initial reports.

Members of the Senate have concluded voting through a secret ballot toelect a new chairman. After the chairman is elected, voting will commencefor the deputy chairman post.

Earlier on Monday, 51 newly-elected Senators took oath by presiding officerSenator Sardar Yaqub Khan when the Senate session began a little after10am. Ishaq Dar could not take oath as he is in London on medical grounds.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its allies NationalParty (NP), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), PML-Functional and AwamiNational Party agreed on PML-N’s Raja Zafarul Haq as chairman and PkMAP’sUsman Kakar as deputy chairman.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rallied behind Sadiq Sanjrani, an independent senatorfrom Balochistan, for chairman.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto confirmed the development on Sunday and addedthat the party would field Saleem Mandviwalla for the deputy chairman seat.