Zardari thinks Gilani should have won by 20 votes in Senate polls

• Asif Ali Zardari says Gilani secured fewer votes than expected as he was supposed to get at least 20 more votes.
• Zardari says the party will decide about Gilani contesting elections for Senate chairman and PDM will take a formal decision on the matter.
• Gillani obtained 169 votes, whereas Hafeez Shaikh got 164.
  

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Democratic Party (PDM)’s Senate candidate Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani secured fewer votes than expected as he was supposed to get at least 20 more votes, says former President Asif Ali Zardari.

Appearing on Geo News programme Capital Talk, the PPP co-chairperson opined that Gilani's victory should have been by more than five votes. In fact, Gilani should have polled 20 more votes on way to his victory.

When he was asked about the rest of the 15 expected votes, the former president replied: “You are better informed than me being a journalist working in Islamabad while I am only a Sindhi politician.”

Responding to a question about Gilani's plans to contest the election for the Senate chairman, Zardari said the party will decide about it and the PDM will take a formal decision on the matter.

Read more: Yousaf Raza Gillani urges PM Imran Khan to vote for him in Senate elections

Speaking about a scandalous video of Ali Haider Gilani instructing PTI MPs on how to waste their vote, Zardari said some people came to see him in Islamabad, but he soon realised that they were trying to trap him in a sting operation, so he immediately left and asked Bilawal Bhutto to throw them out.

When the host asked about speculations that Prime Minister Imran Khan might dissolve the assembly, the PPP stalwart replied: "In that case, we are ready to contest the elections."

After a hotly contested electoral battle, Gilani emerged victorious against the ruling party's Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday.

Gillani obtained 169 votes, whereas Shaikh got 164. One vote was not cast.