Islamabad: Plans to do away with constitutionally mandated secret voting in Pakistan’s forthcoming Senate elections have faltered quickly, political sources say.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif initiated the moves last week, saying the aim was to prevent horse-trading by changing the mode of voting from secret to open ballot.

But consensus of parliamentary parties needed to ensure passage of necessary constitutional amendment by the parliament has eluded him.

The prime minister, while initiating the move last week, had tasked ministers to make contacts with political parties to forge a consensus.

The frantic government efforts could not win support from the main opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as well as Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F) and Awami National Party.

PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari, talking to reporters a meeting with JUI leader Maulana Fazlur here on Sunday, said they stand for comprehensive electoral reforms and not just a Senate-specific step.

Zardari said his party believed that the 2013 general election was manipulated and that it would bring out a white paper on the issue soon.

However, he said the PPP had not become part of any designs to dislodge the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government as it wanted it complete its five-year term so that democracy is strengthened. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, and Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were in favour of the proposed constitutional amendment.

But the PTI has said its legislators, who have been staying away from sessions of the National Assembly, would return to the House only if a top level judicial commission is set up by Sharif to probe alleged fraud in 2013 general election. .

Some 30 PTI legislators resigned late last year but their resignations have not been accepted by the Speaker, with the government keen to bring them back to the assembly.

One hundred and thirty-one candidates are in the fray for election to 48 seats of Senate taking place on Thursday, in which members of provincial assemblies form electoral college.

Four candidates have already been elected unopposed from Sindh province.

According to the final list issued by the Election Commission, sixteen candidates are contesting from Punjab, twelve from Sindh, thirty-two from Balochistan, and twenty-seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Eight candidates are in the field for two seats of Islamabad and thirty-six are contesting for four seats of federally administered tribal areas in the 100-member Senate.