AJK Polls to begin July 27 in three phases

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission has announced that the Legislative Assembly elections will be conducted in three

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission has announced that the Legislative Assembly elections will be conducted in three phases, replacing the earlier plan to hold polling across the region on a single day.

Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said polling in Mirpur Division will be held on July 27. Voters in Muzaffarabad Division will cast their ballots on August 2, while Poonch Division will go to the polls on August 10.

The Election Commission said all administrative and security arrangements are being completed to ensure peaceful, transparent and timely elections in every constituency.

A total of 1,265 candidates have filed nomination papers for 45 Legislative Assembly seats, including 33 territorial constituencies and 12 Kashmiri refugee constituencies.

Among them, 1,047 candidates are contesting the 33 seats within Azad Kashmir, while 218 candidates are in the race for the 12 refugee seats.

The scrutiny of nomination papers has been completed in all constituencies. Election officials rejected 41 nomination papers after finding legal and procedural deficiencies.

More than 3.8 million registered voters are eligible to cast their votes in the elections. The Election Commission will establish 6,983 polling stations and 10,913 polling booths to facilitate voters across the region.

Within Azad Kashmir, around 3.36 million voters will vote at 5,926 polling stations. Official data shows that 52% of registered voters are men, while 48% are women.

A total of 22 political parties are participating in the elections. Political activities have intensified, with parties holding rallies, corner meetings and public gatherings to attract voters before polling begins.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced a boycott of the elections. The party said it was staying away from the electoral process in solidarity with ongoing protests in the region. PTI also maintained that it would not participate in what it described as a political process that ignores the voice and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have entered into an electoral alliance. Under the agreement, the PPP has left LA-14 (Bagh-I) and LA-23 (Poonch and Sudhanoti-VI) for JUI-F, while contesting the remaining 43 constituencies.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has fielded 44 candidates, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) 38, the Muslim Conference 36, Jamaat-e-Islami 36, the People’s National Party (PNP) 14, and the Jammu Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP) nine candidates.