MUZAFFARABAD: The PML-N and PPP won one seat each in two constituencies of Muzaffarabad division where polling was held on Tuesday after being delayed due to landslides and inclement weather.
The polling was part of the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, in which candidates contested seats in Muzaffarabad division as well as 12 seats reserved for refugees from India-occupied Kashmir.
According to results issued by the AJK Election Commission, PML-N candidate Noreen Arif won the LA-27 (Kutla) constituency with 18,919 votes, defeating Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Sardar Tabarak Ali by 298 votes. PPP candidate Sardar Javed Ayoub finished third with 18,037 votes.
In LA-28 (Lachhrat), PPP’s Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi secured victory with 28,214 votes. PML-N’s Chaudhry Shahzad Mahmood came second with 26,866 votes, while All Jammu and Kashmir Conference candidate Syed Yasir Hussain Naqvi finished third with 873 votes.
The Election Commission also notified the returned candidates for the remaining constituencies contested during the second phase.
With the latest results, the PML-N’s tally has risen to 24 seats, while the PPP has secured 10.
In the first phase, held in Mirpur division, the PML-N won nine of the 13 seats, while the PPP secured four. Following the second-phase polling held on Sunday and Tuesday, the PML-N added 15 seats to its tally, while the PPP gained six.
The third and final phase of the elections will be held in Poonch division on August 10, with 11 seats to be contested.
The AJK elections are being conducted in three phases due to security concerns and amid protests by the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
The JAAC has been protesting since early June, among other demands, for the abolition of the 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly. The demonstrations have also witnessed incidents of violence.
Meanwhile, the second-phase polling was marred by clashes, violence and allegations of electoral irregularities, with the PML-N and PPP accusing each other of malpractice.
