AJK LG polls: PTI takes lead by winning 23 seats

MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has clinched victory on 23 seats followed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) grabbing 10 seats during the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Local Government (LG) polls, ARY News reported on Sunday.

According to the unofficial and unconfirmed results of the AJK LG polls, PTI candidates won 21 seats while PPP secured victory on 10 seats. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) won eight seats in the AJK LG polls, whereas, five independent candidates were declared winners.

Muslim Conference declared victorious on one seat.

Twelve PML-N candidates were declared winners in Muzaffarabad City wards while 8 PTI candidates won the polls.

After a long wait of over three decades, the first phase of the local government elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) concluded at 5:00 pm today.

READ: AJK LG ELECTIONS TO BE HELD IN PHASES

The polling concluded in three districts of Muzaffarabad Division — Neelum Valley, Jhelum Valley and Muzaffarabad. The polling continued till 5 pm without any break.

Strict security measures have been put in place to maintain law and order during the polling in AJK.

Of the 1,323 polling stations, 418 were declared ‘sensitive’ and 257 ‘most sensitive’, where three and five police personnel were deployed, respectively. According to officials, two policemen were deployed at other polling stations.

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.

The candidates included 575 from the PTI, 465 from the PML-N, 545 from the PPP, 113 from All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, 67 from TLP, 46 from JI and 900 independent candidates.

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.

It is pertinent to mention that local government elections in the other two divisions of the state Poonch and Mirpur will be held on January 3 and 8 respectively.

Earlier, the regional chief election commissioner (CEC) Justice Retired Abdul Rashid Sulehria had announced to hold local government (LG) elections in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in phases.