AJK Election: Unofficial results put PML-N ahead in Mirpur division

WEBDESK: The first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections concluded ‘peacefully’ on July 27, with voters turning out in ‘large’ numbers to cast their ballots, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said after the announcement of results from three key constituencies in Mirpur.

According to the Chief Election Commissioner, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won two of the three declared seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured one. In LA-1 Mirpur-I, PML-N candidate Azhar Sadiq was declared elected after securing 15,427 votes, defeating PPP candidate Afser Shahid, who received 9,832 votes. In LA-4 Mirpur-IV, PML-N’s Chaudhry Rukhsar won the seat with 22,376 votes, while PPP candidate Sohaib finished second with 15,851 votes.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the AJK Election Commission announced the result for LA-3 Mirpur-III, where PPP candidate Chaudhry Yasir Sultan emerged victorious with 12,590 votes. PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed came second after polling 11,081 votes.

Justice (retd) Mughal said the first phase of the electoral process was completed in an overall ‘peaceful atmosphere’. He noted that all political parties participated actively, and voters exercised their democratic right with ‘enthusiasm’.

He also praised the efforts of the relevant institutions, election staff and security personnel for ensuring the successful polls.

Justice (retd) Mughal further said that individuals accused of disrupting polling in Samahni had been arrested, adding that law enforcement agencies played an exemplary role in maintaining peace and order throughout the election process.

Meanwhile, as per the unofficial results, PML-N secured seven seats while the PPP won three.

The counting process continued after polling concluded at 6pm, following a one-hour extension granted by the Chief Election Commissioner in response to voter turnout and requests from political parties. Polling had originally been scheduled to end at 5pm. Election officials said the receipt and compilation of results would continue in phases, adding that the Election Commission would announce the final official results in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure.

The first phase of the elections covered 13 constituencies in the Mirpur Division. A total of 1,400,437 voters were registered, including 724,811 men and 675,626 women. For the polling process, 2,316 polling stations were established, of which 1,241 were declared highly sensitive and 724 sensitive.

Constituency-wise unofficial results

In LA-2 Mirpur-II, PPP’s Qasim Majeed won with 31,378 votes, while PML-N’s Azeem Bakhsh Chaudhry finished second with 8,499 votes. Independent candidate Chaudhry Zafar Anwar came third with 4,669 votes.

In LA-5 Bhimber-I, unofficial results from 104 of 176 polling stations showed PML-N’s Waqar Ahmed Noor leading with 19,592 votes, followed by PPP’s Chaudhry Pervez Ashraf with 16,335 votes.

In LA-6 Bhimber-II, preliminary results from 24 of 195 polling stations placed PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Razzaq ahead with 3,814 votes, while Ali Shan Chaudhry of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) trailed with 3,351 votes.

In LA-7 Bhimber-III, complete unofficial results from all 237 polling stations showed PML-N’s Chaudhry Tariq Farooq winning with 35,490 votes, while independent candidate Chaudhry Anwarul Haq finished second with 25,100 votes.

In LA-8 Kotli-I, PPP’s Zafar Iqbal Malik won with 19,535 votes, defeating PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Nawaz Khan, who received 11,966 votes.

In LA-9 Nakyal, complete unofficial results from all 306 polling stations showed PML-N’s Umair Naeem securing victory with 31,080 votes, while PPP’s Javed Iqbal Budhanvi came second with 28,509 votes.

In LA-10 Kotli-III, preliminary results from 36 of 169 polling stations showed PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin leading with 6,999 votes, followed by PML-N’s Fateh Mahmood Hassan with 3,560 votes.

In LA-11 Kotli-IV, PML-N’s Muhammad Asif won with 26,190 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq secured 21,751 votes.

In LA-12 Kotli-V, PML-N candidate Muhammad Riasat Khan was declared successful with 35,168 votes, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, who received 30,320 votes.

In LA-13 Kotli-VI, PML-N’s Raja Ayaz Ahmed Khan won with 21,856 votes, while IPP candidate Nisar Ansar Abdali finished second with 15,859 votes.

During polling in Nakyal, one person was killed and two others were injured in a firing incident. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto reacted strongly to the incident.