ISLAMABAD, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Candidates backed by the Pakistani ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are leading the elections of the Senate, the country's upper house of the parliament.

The candidates supported by the ruling party have so far secured 18 seats by making a cleaned sweep in the country's largest Punjab Province by winning all 12 seats for the Senate elections, according to local reports.

The party's candidates also won both seats of the federal capital apart from securing four seats from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and southwestern Balochistan Province.

Pakistan People's Party won five seats from south Sindh Province where as cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf managed to secure one seat from northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province so far.

The counting of the remaining votes is underway.

Pakistan's Senate comprises 23 members from each province, eight from FATA and four members from Islamabad. The Senate elections are held after every three years to elect half seats that have completed their six-year term. The last elections were held in 2015 and the next will be conducted in 2021.

The contestants from provinces will be elected by members of provincial assemblies respectively while the aspirants from Islamabad and FATA will get votes from the members of the National Assembly, or the lower house of the country's parliament.