The PML‑N won nine of the 13 constituencies in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirpur division in yesterday’s elections, according to preliminary results released by the Election Commission on Tuesday.
Polling in AJK is being carried out in three phases due to security concerns, with the first phase held in Mirpur division on Monday. The voting process was disrupted by scuffles, violence and allegations of rigging, as both the PML‑N and PPP accused each other of electoral malpractice.
Preliminary results issued by the AJK Election Commission (Forms‑26 and Forms‑27) indicate that the PML‑N secured nine seats, while the PPP obtained only four.
Results breakdown
After a contentious campaign, the PML‑N captured seats in Mirpur district’s Dadyal and Khari Sharif; Bhimber district’s Barnala, Samahni and Bhimber; and Kotli district’s Nakyal, Sehnsa, Charhoi and Khuiratta, according to unofficial tallies.
Conversely, the PPP took the key city of Mirpur and the district’s Chakswari, together with two seats in Kotli.
In LA‑1 (Mirpur‑I), PML‑N’s Azhar Sadiq prevailed with 15,427 votes, while his opponent Muhammad Afzal Shahid received 9,832 votes, as per Form‑27.
PPP won LA‑2 (Mirpur‑II), with candidate Qasim Majeed securing 13,378 votes, according to Form‑27.
LA‑3 (Mirpur‑III) was a tight race, with PPP’s Yasir Sultan emerging victorious by 12,590 votes to his opponent’s 11,081.
In LA‑4 (Mirpur‑IV), PML‑N’s Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed garnered 22,376 votes, beating PPP’s Sohaib Arshad, who obtained 15,851 votes, as shown in Form‑27.
LA‑5 (Bhimber‑I) also saw a narrow margin, with PML‑N’s Waqar Ahmed Noor winning 30,259 votes against PPP’s Chaudhry Parvaiz Ashraf’s 29,574.
LA‑6 (Samahni) went to PML‑N’s Chaudhry Razzaq, per unofficial results.
In LA‑7 (Bhimber‑III), PML‑N’s Tariq Farooq secured a comfortable victory with 37,613 votes, surpassing former AJK PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq’s 25,534 votes, according to Form‑26.
PPP’s Zafar Iqbal won LA‑8 (Kotli‑I) with 19,535 votes, while the party’s AJK president Chaudhry Yasin captured LA‑10 (Kotli‑III) with 12,358 votes.
Meanwhile, PML‑N’s Umair Naeem clinched Nakyal’s LA‑9 (Kotli‑II), where polling turned violent on Monday. Naeem defeated PPP’s Javed Budhanvi by over 30,000 votes to 28,309.
PML‑N’s Raja Asif secured LA‑11 (Kotli‑IV) in Sehnsa, and party leader Raja Riasat Khan won LA‑12 (Kotli‑V), based on unofficial tallies.
PML‑N candidate Raja Ayyaz Ahmad completed the party’s sweep in the division, winning LA‑13 (Kotli‑VI) with 12,008 votes.
The second and third phases of the elections are slated for August 2 and August 10, covering nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies, plus 11 constituencies in Poonch division.
In remarks Monday night, the chief election commissioner described the polls as “the most difficult” in AJK’s history, citing reasons “everyone is aware of.” He added that while isolated incidents occur during elections, parties often amplify them without investigation.
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