MUZAFFARABAD – The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the leading party in the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, securing 13 seats, according to unofficial and provisional results received late Sunday night. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won five seats.
Polling was held in eight constituencies of the Muzaffarabad Division and 12 refugee constituencies from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. However, voting at several polling stations in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-2 (Lachhrat) was postponed due to adverse weather conditions and landslides.
According to an Election Commission spokesperson, polling at selected stations in Nauseri, Nausda, Panjgran, Deoliyan and Panjkot was deferred until August 4 after election staff and polling material failed to reach the locations. The spokesperson added that sealed polling bags from the affected stations had been returned to the Returning Officer by the presiding officers.
In LA-25 Neelum Valley-1, PML-N candidate Shah Ghulam Qadir was declared victorious, with the PPP candidate finishing second. Former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas placed third.
In LA-26 Neelum Valley-2, partial unofficial results from 26 of 135 polling stations showed PPP’s Mian Abdul Waheed leading with 3,762 votes, followed by PML-N’s Shah Ghulam Qadir with 3,296 votes.
Polling in LA-27 was postponed, while voting at some polling stations in LA-28 was also delayed due to bad weather. PPP was reported to be leading in the constituency.
PPP’s Sardar Mukhtar won LA-29 Muzaffarabad after receiving 19,792 votes.
In LA-30 Muzaffarabad-4, unofficial results from all 129 polling stations showed PML-N’s Mustafa Bashir Abbasi winning with 18,082 votes, ahead of PPP’s Mubashir Munir Awan, who secured 11,947 votes.
PML-N’s Saqib Majeed was leading in LA-31, while Raja Farooq Haider of PML-N won LA-32 with 17,507 votes against the PPP candidate’s 13,964.
PPP’s Diwan Ali Qamar Chughtai won LA-33 with 19,521 votes.
Among the refugee constituencies, PML-N candidates maintained a strong performance. In LA-34 Jammu-1, Nasir Dar was leading with 1,563 votes.
In LA-35 Jammu-2, PML-N’s Chaudhry Ismail Gujjar won with 23,893 votes, ahead of independent candidate Sardar Ghayas, who received 5,868 votes.
PML-N’s Hafiz Ahsan Raza won LA-36 Jammu-3 with 27,218 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Ahsan Ismail Gujjar Advocate finished second with 12,980 votes.
In LA-37 Jammu-4, PML-N’s Maryam Javed secured victory with 28,664 votes, defeating Jammu Kashmir United Movement candidate Usman Aleem, who received 22,827 votes.
PML-N candidate Chaudhry Zeeshan Younis won LA-38 Jammu-5 on the basis of unofficial results. Separate district-wise figures also showed him leading in the constituency.
PML-N’s Raja Muhammad Siddiq won LA-39 Jammu-6 with 10,981 votes, while PPP’s Chaudhry Fakhar Zaman came second with 5,081 votes.
PPP’s Amir Abdul Ghaffar won LA-40 Kashmir Valley-1 with 2,914 votes.
PML-N’s Muhammad Amir Shah won LA-41 Kashmir Valley-2 with 1,804 votes, while independent candidate Saba Diwan finished second with 1,523 votes.
In LA-42 Kashmir Valley-3, PML-N’s Syed Shaukat Ali Shah secured victory with 1,542 votes, ahead of PPP’s Muhammad Asim Sharif.
Official results for LA-43 Kashmir Valley-4 declared PML-N’s Yaseen Lone the winner with 1,276 votes, while PPP’s Javed Butt finished second with 663 votes.
PML-N also won LA-44 Kashmir Valley-5, where Ahmad Raza Qadri secured 2,308 votes. Muslim Conference candidate Meher-un-Nisa, PPP’s Rashid Islam Butt and Jamaat-e-Islami’s Hanif Manzoor Dar followed.
In LA-45 Kashmir Valley-6, PPP’s Abdul Majid Khan won with 3,448 votes, defeating All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference candidate Khawaja Muhammad Dilawar, who received 823 votes.
The results remain unofficial and provisional in several constituencies where counting is continuing or polling has been postponed.
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