MUZAFFARABAD: Amid tight security arrangements, polling in the third and final phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections will be held (tomorrow) August 10 at four constituencies in Bagh and Haveli districts.
The election campaign for the final phase ended on Saturday late, with 72 candidates, including those representing major political parties, contesting the four seats. The four constituencies include LA-14, where former prime minister Sardar Attique Khan is among 21 candidates, and LA-15 Bagh, where former prime minister Tanveer Ilyas is contesting against 19 other candidates.
Twenty-two candidates are vying for LA-16, while nine candidates, including incumbent AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore, are contesting LA-17. A total of 803 polling stations and 1,254 polling booths have been established for the final phase, with more than 8,000 security personnel deployed across the four constituencies.
As many as 460,371 registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the four constituencies. The first two phases of the AJK elections have already been completed, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) securing a simple majority in the 53-member Legislative Assembly based on unofficial and unconfirmed results.
The PML-N has won 24 of the 34 seats contested in the first two phases, while PPP candidates have secured 10 seats. The AJK Legislative Assembly comprises 53 members, including 45 directly elected seats and eight reserved seats. The reserved seats include five for women and one each for ulema and mashaikh, technocrats and overseas Kashmiris.
Read also: PML-N dominates second phase of AJK assembly elections with nine seats
