ISLAMABAD (DNA) – As the government and opposition are set to lock horns in an unprecedented Senate session on Thursday (today) for the chairmanship of the upper House of the Parliament, the opposition in the senate has apparently gained the support of 65 senators for its joint candidate Hasil Bizenjo, whereas the incumbent chairman Sadiq Sanjrani is being backed by 36 senators, who are in alliance with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

A total of 53 votes are required to remove the chairman and deputy chairman from their offices. The opposition has a total of 67 members, one of whom (Ishaq Dar) has still not taken oath. Out of the remaining 66 senators, two belong to Jamaat-i-Islami, which has decided to abstain from the proceedings.

The PTI has 14 senators, and its ally, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) of which Sanjrani is a member, has eight. Seven senators from the erstwhile Fata are also with the ruling party. Its other allies include, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with five senators and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) with one senator each.

Meanwhile, Sanjrani has refuted opposition’s demand to resign from his post voluntarily and appears determined to fight till the end.

Sources familiar with the matter told the media that both, the government and the opposition were confident in line with their conscience.

PTI senator Shibli Faraz has asserted that the opposition’s attempt to de-seat Sanjrani would fail as the chairman would gain 60 votes in today’s balloting.

“Majority of the opposition members is not trusting Hasil Bizenjo [as the proposed leader of the upper House],” he said in his talk to the media.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary took to Twitter today, and stated that it was an unfortunate that the no-confidence motion against chairman of the Senate was being held.

“This is a part of Abu Bachao campaign,” he said, adding that the premier and the government would remain unaffected by the motion; however the upper House of the parliament would be affected.

“Sadiq Sanjrani had maintained neutrality in the Senate, which would be influenced regardless of whosoever wins as the result of the no-trust motion,” he added.

The secretariat of the Senate sent a message to all the members detailing the procedure for voting under Rule 12(10) of the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Senate, 2012.

It says that voting on the resolution(s) shall be secret and each member will have one vote only.

The members will not be allowed to carry mobile phones and cameras inside the polling booth. Disclosing the ballot paper or taking its photograph is strictly prohibited.

Rule 12(9) says the Senate shall not be adjourned until the motion for leave is disposed of or, if leave is granted, the resolution has been voted upon.

Rule 12(12) reads: “The Chairman or, as the case may be, Deputy Chairman, shall stand removed from his office on the resolution being passed by a majority of the total membership of the Senate.”

The presiding officer will announce the success or failure of no confidence move after counting. Voting on the move against Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala would also follow the same procedure.

Yesterday, the Rehbar Committee of the joint opposition held meetings in Islamabad to finalise its strategy for the no-confidence motion against the sitting chairman.

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser met Sadiq Sanjarani and expressed full support against opposition’s no confidence move. The leader of the house Shibli Faraz said the opposition’s demand for the resignation of Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani was “not a good tradition.”

Sanjarani passed his last day in his office and shifted all important files to his personal residence.