Four constituencies three in Bagh district and one in Haveli have emerged as closely watched contests in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, with incumbent and former prime ministers facing strong challenges from rival candidates.
Polling will take place amid heightened security concerns, with officials anticipating possible clashes in some areas. The Election Commission has classified most of the 803 polling stations across the four constituencies as sensitive or highly sensitive.
An additional 10,300 troops have been deployed alongside the regular police forces of the two districts to maintain law and order and ensure a secure environment for voters. A Quick Response Force comprising army personnel will also be deployed, officials said.
A total of 460,371 voters — 238,664 men and 221,707 women — are eligible to cast their ballots at 803 polling stations with 1,254 polling booths.
As many as 82 candidates are contesting the four seats. LA-14 (Dhirkot) has the highest number of candidates at 30, while LA-17 (Haveli) has the lowest at nine.
In LA-17, former AJK prime minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore is facing PML-N candidate Engr Mohsin Aziz and independent candidate Khawaja Tariq Saeed, a member of the AJK Council.
Rathore and Saeed were previously political allies and had agreed to contest the seat alternately. However, after becoming prime minister, Rathore asked Saeed to withdraw in his favour. Saeed refused, turning the former allies into electoral rivals.
Mohsin Aziz, whose father Chaudhry Mohammad Aziz won the seat at least three times, is drawing support from the sizeable Gujjar community. His recent election rally in Forward Kahuta reportedly attracted significant attention and strengthened his campaign.
Saeed is believed to have support among sections of the Kashmiri community and several smaller clans, while Rathore remains confident of retaining the constituency, citing his government’s performance during his short tenure.
The constituency has also seen allegations of electoral irregularities on social media. Officials dismissed claims that presiding officers had manipulated results in Rathore’s favour, while confirming that complaints had been received against two officials who were subsequently removed from election duties.
Former prime minister Mr Ilyas is contesting LA-15 against PML-N candidate and former minister Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas, PPP nominee and sitting minister Sardar Ziaul Qamar, and Jamaat-i-Islami candidate retired Brig Dr Mohammad Khan.
Ilyas initially announced a boycott of the third phase after receiving just over 3,300 votes from Upper Neelum during the second phase, but later reversed his decision and resumed campaigning.
He has argued that his victory could help the constituency secure either the presidency or prime ministership.
Ilyas and Qamar belong to the Madiyal tribe, while Brig Khan belongs to the Narma clan and enjoys the backing of former JI chief Abdul Rashid Turabi and former adviser Raja Yasin Khan.
Minhas is seeking to benefit from the PML-N’s position as the largest party in the elections held so far and its expected role in forming the next government. His campaign has urged voters to elect a representative from the party likely to occupy the government benches.
In LA-16, former ministers Sardar Mir Akbar of the PML-N and Sardar Qamar Zaman of the PPP are the main contenders.
The LA-14 contest has attracted particular attention because Muslim Conference chief Sardar Attique Khan is facing a strong challenge from Sajid Iqbal Abbasi of the relatively new Awam Dast-o-Bazu Party.
Abbasi, a contractor and philanthropist, is said to have spent millions of rupees from his own resources on welfare projects in the constituency, helping him establish a strong personal following.
Attique has represented the constituency since 2006, when he first became prime minister. His campaign faces an additional challenge as Abbasi belongs to the same tribe.
Among the other candidates are PML-N nominee Raja Faisal Azad and PPP candidate Raja Mubashar Ejaz.
Although the main contest is expected to be between Attique and Abbasi, the PML-N and PPP candidates are also competing for a strong position in the constituency.
