KP opposition declines govt offer of two Senate seats

The government's efforts to get its candidates elected unopposed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa failed on Sunday after the opposition refused to accept its offer of two seats. KP has been in the spotlight since a video showing some provincial lawmakers trading their votes in the 2018 Senate election went viral. The chief minister attempted to appease the opposition by offering it two out of 12 Senate seats. But the opposition lawmakers foiled the move. Sardar Hussain Babak, who is ANP's parliamentary leader in the KP Assembly, questioned the offer of just two seats to a 45-member strong opposition. "They gave an offer that was to be turned down," he said. Related: All Senate candidates from Punjab elected unopposed CM's aide on information Kamran Bangash said everyone should get a share according to their representation. "We fielded our candidates according to the numbers, while the opposition has fielded more," he said. Bangash said one must bear in mind that if any damage was caused, then it would not be a good omen for democracy. The government alliance has the support of 99 members, while the opposition has of 43 MPAs in the KP Assembly. There are three independent members in the provincial assembly. The Senate election is scheduled to be held on March 3.