Independent candidates take lead AJK LG elections

MUZAFFARABAD: Independent candidates have taken lead in first phase of Local Government (LG) elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), ARY News reported on Monday.

According to details, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the official results of 549 seats of district and union councils, municipal corporations, municipal committees and town committees out of 669 seats.

As per the results, independent candidates have secured 170 seats out of 549 followed by Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) which secured 134 seats.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaaf (PTI) has won 122 seats and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) got 99 seats.

On the other hand, All Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference (MC) secured 22 seats while Jammu Kashmir peoples’ party (JK-PP) could secure an only seat in first phase of the AJK LG elections.

Out of 74 district council seats, results of 53 were announced and PTI won 17 followed by 16 independents while PPP secured 9, PMLN 7, Muslim Conference 3 and JK PP secured one seat.

Out of a total of 535 union council’s seats, results of 349 were announced and independents won the majority securing 131 seats followed by PPP which obtained 75 seats while PTI got 65, PMLN 60, MC 17 and TLP secured one seat.

The Municipal Corporation of the capital was won by PMLN by securing 12 seats out of 36 followed by PTI securing 8 seats while PPP and independents 7 each and 2 seats won by MC.

Three seats of municipal committees out of 7 results announced were won by PPP while PTI and PMLN got 2 seats each out of 10 total seats. Out of 14 seats of 4 town committees, results of 9 seats were announced and PMLN won 4 followed by 3 independents and 2 by PTI.

After a long wait of over three decades, the first phase of the local government elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was held on Sunday.

Read more: AJK LG ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN PHASES

A total of 2716 candidates including 900 independent candidates were in the contest for 595 seats in Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley and Hattian Bala district while in second phase, polling will be conducted in four districts of Poonch Division on December 3.

According to the election commission, a total of 695,049 voters including 320,747 female voters exercised their right to vote in the first phase of elections in three districts of the Muzaffarabad division.