BAGH, AUG 15: Unofficial initial results have started pouring in after balloting concluded at 23 polling stations across two constituencies in the Bagh district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Saturday.
Balloting began at 8am and continued uninterrupted until 5pm. People exercised their democratic right at nine polling stations in LA-15 Bagh-2 and 14 stations in LA-16 Bagh-3 today.
The election had been postponed at the stations on August 10 after polling staff failed to arrive amid tensions.
The AJK Election Commission had decided to hold Legislative Assembly elections for 45 seats, including 12 refugee seats, in three phases.
In the first phase, elections were held across 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division. The second phase of the AJK elections took place on August 2, with polling held in eight constituencies of Muzaffarabad Division and all 12 refugee constituencies amid rigging allegations.
The electoral process in LA-27 (Muzaffarabad-I) and LA-27 was postponed due to heavy rain and landslides.
The PML-N emerged as the dominant party in AJK following the first two phases of the region’s elections. The PML-N has won 24 seats, while the PPP has secured 10.
Polling for the third phase of the AJK elections was held in four constituencies across Bagh and Haveli districts of Poonch division on August 10.
According to the AJK Election Commission, Awami Dast-o-Baazo party’s Sajid Iqbal Abbasi won the elections from LA-14 Bagh-I. PPP leader and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore remained successful on LA-17 Bagh IV, defeating PML-N’s Mohsin Aziz.
The AJK election commission withheld results of LA-16 Bagh-III and LA-15 Bagh-II as polling could not be held at some of the polling stations on August 10.
