Re-polling may reshape the race as PML-N and PPP stay locked in shut contests throughout key Bagh constituencies
A lady votes in the course of the second section of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Meeting elections at a polling station in Muzaffarabad on August 2, 2026. Image taken with a cell phone. Photograph: Reuters
ISLAMABAD:
The end result of two constituencies within the third section of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) common elections remained unsure on Tuesday after the Election Fee ordered re-polling at 23 polling stations in Bagh.
Re-polling can be held at 9 polling stations in LA-15 Bagh-II and 14 in LA-16 Bagh-III on August 15 from 8am to 5pm, in response to an Election Fee spokesperson. The choice was taken on the premise of stories submitted by the respective returning officers.
In LA-15, outcomes from 204 of the constituency’s 213 polling stations had been acquired. Re-polling can be held at polling stations 114, 135, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148 and 186.
Within the newest unofficial outcomes acquired earlier than the re-polling choice, Pakistan Peoples Get together (PPP) candidate Ziaul Qamar was main with 18,825 votes, adopted by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mushtaq Minhas with greater than 15,000 votes. Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Khan had secured greater than 12,000 votes.
Additionally Learn: AJK polls: Sajid Iqbal wins LA-14 as PML-N, PPP lead in key constituencies
In LA-16, outcomes from 172 of the constituency’s 186 polling stations had been acquired. PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan was main PPP’s Sardar Qamar-uz-Zaman by 3,225 votes within the newest unofficial outcomes obtainable late on Monday. The ultimate lead to LA-16 will stay pending till re-polling is held at polling stations 28, 29, 40, 49, 50, 51, 77, 91, 109, 110, 111, 112, 143 and 149.
The third section was additionally marked by a disputed lead to LA-17 Bagh-IV, the place PPP candidate and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was declared the winner towards PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz, in response to state-run Radio Pakistan.
Aziz rejected the end result and staged a sit-in exterior the returning officer’s workplace after his request for a recount was turned down. He alleged that the outcomes had been tampered with and claimed, based mostly on outcomes held by his marketing campaign, that he had received the constituency by 8,600 votes.
Aziz additionally alleged that the returning officer’s bias had disrupted the peaceable setting in Haveli and claimed the constituency’s mandate had been “stolen”.
Newest outcomes
In response to the newest outcomes introduced by the AJK Election Fee and reported by Radio Pakistan, Awami Dast-o-Baazo candidate Sajid Iqbal Abbasi defeated former AJK prime minister and Muslim Convention chief Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan in LA-14 Bagh-I.
Sajid Iqbal secured 40,702 votes towards Atiq Ahmed Khan’s 19,542 in unofficial outcomes from 213 of the constituency’s 214 polling stations, giving him a lead of greater than 21,000 votes.
With outcomes obtainable for 38 constituencies, the PML-N has secured 24 seats, the PPP 12 and Awami Dast-o-Baazo one, in response to the newest obtainable tally. The results of LA-16 stays pending.
Learn Extra: Bagh-Haveli vote to check PML-N’s dominance
The third section, overlaying Bagh and Haveli, adopted polling within the Mirpur and Muzaffarabad divisions and is predicted to affect the steadiness of energy within the AJK Legislative Meeting.
The most recent tally places the PML-N in a powerful place to kind the subsequent AJK authorities, whereas the PPP has emerged because the second-largest political power. Nevertheless, the ultimate composition of the meeting will grow to be clear solely after the re-polling and completion of the remaining outcomes.
Polling in seven constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti has additionally been postponed and can be held at a later date.
The primary two phases
The primary section concluded with polling throughout Mirpur Division, whereas the second section lined 9 constituencies in Muzaffarabad Division and 12 refugee seats, bringing 21 constituencies to the polls. Nevertheless, voting in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I and LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II was postponed after heavy rain, landslides and hostile climate prevented election workers and polling materials from reaching a number of polling stations.
Polling within the two delayed constituencies was held on Tuesday beneath heightened safety preparations, with the PML-N successful LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I and the PPP securing LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II, formally bringing the second section of the elections to an in depth. The Election Fee subsequently notified the outcomes of all 21 constituencies contested within the second section.
Following the completion of the primary two phases, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the most important celebration with 24 seats, whereas the Pakistan Peoples Get together (PPP) turned the second-largest parliamentary power with 10 seats.
The postponement got here towards the backdrop of deteriorating safety circumstances in Poonch Division, the place tensions have continued since late July. Violent clashes erupted in Rawalakot between police and members of the proscribed Joint Awami Motion Committee (JAAC) after the group tried to enter the town in the course of the first section of the AJK elections.
A number of movies circulating on-line confirmed scenes of unrest, with claims of violence and casualties, although the main points couldn’t be independently verified.
Authorities stated JAAC supporters opened hearth on police after refusing to disperse, injuring officers, whereas the group alleged safety forces had used extreme power, claiming a number of fatalities amongst its supporters. Since then, the federal government has maintained that the legislation and order state of affairs in components of Poonch and Sudhnoti remained fragile.
