The PML-N has taken 13 of the 18 constituencies declared so far in the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir election, with the PPP on five, according to unofficial and provisional results (Geo News; Geo News).
Polling took place on Sunday across 19 constituencies — seven in Muzaffarabad division and all twelve refugee seats. Voting in LA-27 was postponed because of adverse weather, and polling will be held on Tuesday at 54 polling stations across LA-27 and LA-28.
Counts have varied as results come in, with some tallies putting the PML-N on 14. The figures here follow the declared-constituency count reported on Monday.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, speaking alongside Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, claimed victory on 13 seats — four of the seven in Muzaffarabad and ten of the twelve refugee constituencies — and said the PML-N had secured a simple majority to form the government. He said the party’s parliamentary committee would meet immediately after the third phase on August 10 to discuss government formation.
Among the declared results, PML-N’s Shah Ghulam Qadir won LA-25 Neelum-I with 19,201 votes against the PPP’s Mian Abdul Waheed on 13,596, with IPP’s AJK chapter president Tanveer Ilyas taking 3,348. Waheed then won LA-26 Neelum-II with 16,524 against Qadir’s 15,494.
Former AJK prime minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider retained LA-32 Muzaffarabad-VI for the PML-N with 21,156 votes against the PPP’s Sahibzada Muhammad Ashfaq Zafar on 19,010. PML-N’s Mustafa Bashir Abbasi took LA-30 Muzaffarabad-IV with 17,749 against 11,947. The PPP’s Diwan Ali Khan Qamar Chughtai won LA-33 Muzaffarabad-VII with 25,469 against the PML-N’s Mian Muhammad Rashid on 21,175. In the refugee seats, PML-N’s Nasir Hussain Dar took LA-34 Jammu-I with 5,682 votes against independent Raja Riaz Ahmed on 2,124.
The results are unofficial and provisional pending consolidation by the Election Commission. Poonch division votes in the third and final phase on August 10, for a 53-member assembly.
