MIRPUR – The unofficial and unformed results of first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections in Mirpur Division continue to pour in, with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerging as the leading party in the announced constituencies.
According to the unofficial results from 10 out of 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, PML-N candidates have won seven seats, while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidates have secured three seats. Vote counting is still continuing in some constituencies, and the results remain unofficial.
Polling was held across 13 constituencies in the three districts of Mirpur Division — Mirpur, Kotli, and Bhimber. The voting process began at 8am and continued until 6pm after the Chief Election Commissioner extended polling time by one hour. Security arrangements were put in place to ensure a peaceful election process.
In Mirpur-1 (LA-1), PML-N candidate Azhar Sadiq won with 15,427 votes, defeating PPP’s Muhammad Afzal Shahid, who received 9,832 votes.
PPP secured victory in Mirpur-2 (LA-2), where Qasim Majeed won with 12,904 votes. PML-N candidate Azeem Baksh Chaudhry received 8,182 votes and finished second.
In Mirpur-3 (LA-3), PPP’s Chaudhry Yasir Sultan won with 11,676 votes, while PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed secured 9,832 votes.
PML-N candidate Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed won Mirpur-4 (LA-4) with 20,172 votes, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Sohail Arshad, who received 13,865 votes.
In Bhimber-1 (LA-5), unofficial results from 115 of 176 polling stations showed PML-N’s Waqar Ahmed Noor leading with 21,573 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Pervez Ashraf was behind with 18,406 votes.
In Bhimber-2 (LA-6), PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Razaq was ahead with 21,210 votes from 100 of 195 polling stations counted. Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party candidate Ali Shan Chaudhry was in second place with 11,354 votes.
PML-N’s Chaudhry Tariq Farooq won Bhimber-3 (LA-7) after results from all 237 polling stations were completed. He secured 35,490 votes, while independent candidate Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq received 25,100 votes.
In Kotli-1 (LA-8), PPP candidate Zafar Iqbal Malik won with 19,535 votes, defeating PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Nawaz Khan, who received 11,966 votes.
PML-N candidate Umair Naeem won Kotli-2 (LA-9) with 31,080 votes after all 178 polling stations reported results. PPP’s Javed Iqbal Budhanvi secured 28,509 votes.
In Kotli-3 (LA-10), counting from 36 of 169 polling stations showed PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yaseen leading with 6,999 votes, while PML-N’s Fateh Mahmood-ul-Hassan was second with 3,560 votes.
PML-N’s Muhammad Asif won Kotli-4 (LA-11) with 26,190 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq received 21,751 votes.
In Kotli-5 (LA-12), PML-N’s Muhammad Riyasat Khan secured victory with 35,168 votes, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yaseen, who received 30,320 votes.
PML-N candidate Raja Ayaz Ahmed Khan won Kotli-6 (LA-13) with 21,856 votes, while Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s Nisar Ansar Abdali finished second with 15,859 votes.
Following the announcement of initial results, PML-N leader and Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said on social media that voters in Mirpur had expressed support for PML-N during the election campaign and had formally shown their preference through the ballot.
She also claimed that voters in Muzaffarabad had already made their decision and said further polling would determine the final outcome.
The voter turnout in the first phase was reported to be lower compared with the previous elections, with fewer people participating in the voting process.
