MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will conduct its Legislative Assembly elections in three phases, Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced on Tuesday, replacing the previously announced single-day polling schedule.
Under the revised plan, voting in Mirpur Division will take place on July 27, followed by Muzaffarabad Division on August 2, while the Poonch Division will go to the polls on August 10.
The Election Commission had earlier planned to hold elections across all 45 constituencies on July 27, with polling scheduled from 8am to 5pm.
A total of 1,265 candidates have submitted nomination papers for the elections, including 1,047 candidates contesting 33 territorial constituencies and 218 candidates vying for 12 refugee seats. Following scrutiny, the Election Commission rejected 41 nomination papers on legal grounds.
More than 3.8 million registered voters will cast their ballots through 6,983 polling stations and 10,913 polling booths to elect representatives for the 33 territorial seats and 12 refugee constituencies. Within AJK, around 3.36 million voters are registered, with men making up 52 per cent of the electorate and women 48 per cent.
The elections will feature candidates from 22 political parties. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to boycott the polls, saying it is standing in solidarity with ongoing protests in the region. The party said it would not take part in what it called a political process that overlooks the 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 arrangement, the PPP has left two constituencies—LA-14 (Bagh-I) and LA-23 (Poonch and Sudhanoti-VI)—for JUI-F, while contesting the remaining 43 seats.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated 44 candidates, followed by IPP (38), Muslim Conference (36), Jamaat-e-Islami (36), PNP (14) and JKPP (9).
Election campaigning has intensified across the region, with political parties organising rallies and public meetings. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been leading his party’s campaign since arriving in AJK on July 14, while PML-N President Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to address public gatherings in Muzaffarabad on July 21 and Mirpur on July 24.
