Lahore (Web Desk): Punjab Assembly (PA) Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari on Wednesday called the crucial provincial assembly session to vote for next chief minister.
An order by the deputy speaker stated that the "40th session of Punjab Assembly will now be held on Wednesday at 7:30pm for the election of chief minister of Punjab.”
Earlier on Tuesday, a notification issues by the PA Secretariat had stated that the deputy speaker adjourned the session till April 16.
Without citing reasons for the postponement, Mazari adjourned the session for 10 days in the exercise of powers vested in him under Rule 25(b) of the Rules of the Procedures of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab 1997.
The session was originally scheduled for Wednesday (April 6) at 11:30am after it was adjourned on April 3 without voting to elect the new leader of the house amid ruckus by opposition and government lawmakers.
Punjab Assembly session occurred at the same time when a NA session was called to vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan while neither of the two votes took place amid the constitutional crisis.
Punjab Assembly Speaker and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) candidate for the vacant slot while Hamza Shehbaz is Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) candidate for the post.
The provincial assembly had to elect the new leader of the house, with PML-Q's PTI-backed Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz, who had secured the support of the Jahangir Khan Tarin group, expected to go head to head in the race to become the next chief minister.
In the 371-member provincial assembly, the PTI has 183 lawmakers, PML-Q 10, PML-N 165, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) 7, Independent member 5, and one belongs Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party (PRHP).
PTI's dissident, including Jahangir Khan Tareen and Aleem Khan groups have announced to support the joint Opposition’s candidate, and PML-N's leader Hamza Shehbaz for Punjab’s chief minister slot.