MIRPUR: The first phase of elections for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly concluded peacefully across the Mirpur Division, with unofficial and preliminary results indicating that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has secured a clear lead in the constituencies declared so far.
In this regard, the seven out of the 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division have announced complete results. Of these, PML-N candidates have won five seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has secured two seats.
The results are expected to continue as vote counting progresses in the remaining constituencies.
In this sense, the polling was conducted across 13 constituencies in the districts of Mirpur, Kotli, and Bhimber. Voting began at 8:00 a.m. and continued until 6:00 p.m. after the Chief Election Commissioner extended polling by one hour from the originally scheduled closing time of 5:00 p.m.
Moreover, the PML-N’s Azhar Sadiq won the LA-1 Mirpur Dadyal constituency with 12,516 votes, defeating PPP candidate Afser Shahid. In LA-2 Mirpur, PPP’s Qasim Majeed emerged victorious with 12,952 votes, while PPP candidate Yasir Sultan also won the LA-3 Mirpur constituency.
The initial trends from several remaining constituencies also indicated PML-N candidates maintaining leads in multiple seats across Bhimber and Kotli districts, while PPP candidates remained competitive in selected constituencies.
So far, the voter turnout was reported to be lower than in the previous elections. Election officials also took action against alleged violations of the electoral code of conduct.
Two presiding officers in Kotli were arrested and suspended after they failed to report to their assigned polling stations and polling materials were later recovered from a private residence.
Additionally, an Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate was arrested over allegations of interfering with the electoral process, while several local officials were suspended pending investigation.
Meanwhile, a violent clash between supporters of the PPP and PML-N during polling in the Nikyal area resulted in the death of one PPP worker and injuries to three others.
The leaders from both political camps made statements regarding the incident, while authorities confirmed that investigations are underway.
According to election authorities, more than 1.4 million registered voters were eligible to cast their ballots across 2,454 polling stations established throughout Mirpur Division.
