Summary Polling begins in the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections across Mirpur Division, with voters casting ballots amid security arrangements and electoral monitoring.
MIRPUR (Dunya News) – The first phase of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has begun, with polling underway across 13 constituencies of the Mirpur Division.
Voting is taking place in three districts — Mirpur, Bhimber and Kotli — where election authorities have completed the delivery of polling materials to stations ahead of the voting process.
The first phase covers four constituencies in Mirpur, three in Bhimber and six in Kotli. A total of 288 candidates are contesting in the 13 constituencies.
A competitive contest is expected between candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), while candidates from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and independent contenders are also participating in the elections.
Around 1.4 million voters are registered in the Mirpur Division, including 724,811 male voters and 675,626 female voters.
For the first phase of polling, 2,316 polling stations have been established. Authorities have declared 1,241 polling stations as highly sensitive and 724 as sensitive.
Security arrangements have been strengthened for the electoral process, with 18,560 security personnel deployed across the Mirpur Division. In addition, 2,100 Pakistan Army personnel have also been assigned election security duties.
Authorities said comprehensive security measures have been put in place to ensure a peaceful and smooth voting process as voters cast their ballots in the first phase of the AJK elections.
PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari among others who held mammoth election rallies to woo voters for their candidates. The situation turned bitter when the leaders uttered the words which riled the partners and made them rivals, at least in the AJK elections.
PPP accused the federal government of influencing the polls, whereas PMLN said PPP leadership was crossing the red line with regard to Kashmir status.
Read More: Sharjeel Memon accuses federal ministers of influencing AJK polls
General elections for 13 seats of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Mirpur Division will be held, with election authorities completing all arrangements and dispatching polling materials to designated polling stations under strict security.
According to the Election Commission, elections will be held for four seats in Mirpur, three in Bhimber and six in Kotli, where candidates from major political parties and independent contenders will compete.
Read More: AJK people to give verdict in favour of PML-N: Marriyum Aurangzeb
Officials said the distribution of ballot papers and other election materials from the District Returning Officer (DRO) office has begun. Presiding officers received the polling materials and transported them to their respective polling stations under tight security.
Police and other law enforcement agencies remained deployed throughout the transportation process to ensure the safe delivery of election materials. Authorities said all arrangements have been finalized to ensure polling begins on time on Sunday.
CLOSE CONTESTS EXPECTED ACROSS KEY CONSTITUENCIES
Several constituencies are expected to witness closely fought contests among candidates from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independents, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and independent candidates.
In LA-1 Mirpur-I, a close contest is expected between PPP's Afsar Shahid and PML-N's Azhar Sadiq.
LA-2 Mirpur-II is likely to see a three-way contest among PML-N's Azeem Bakhsh, PPP's Qasim Majeed and PTI-backed independent Zafar Anwar.
In LA-3 Mirpur-III, PML-N's Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed and PPP's Yasir Sultan are expected to face stiff competition, while IPP's Tasleem Arif and independent candidate Umair Asghar are also in the race.
LA-4 Mirpur-IV (Khari Sharif) is expected to witness a close contest between PML-N's Rukhsar Ahmed and PPP's Sohaib Arshad.
In LA-5 Bhimber-I (Barnala), PML-N's retired Colonel Waqar Noor will compete against PPP's Chaudhry Pervez Ashraf.
LA-6 Bhimber-II (Samahni) is expected to see a tough contest between IPP's Ali Shan Soni and PML-N's Muhammad Razaq Chaudhry.
Former Azad Kashmir prime minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, contesting as an independent candidate, is expected to face a strong challenge from PML-N's Tariq Farooq in LA-7 Bhimber-III.
In LA-12 Kotli-V, PPP's Muhammad Yaseen Chaudhry and PML-N's Muhammad Riasat Khan are expected to be locked in a close contest.
