MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has swept the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections by bagging 31 seats, coming into opposition to form its government in Muzaffarabad without any other party’s help.
The polling was held in all 41 constituencies, including 29 of AJK and 12 reserved for Pakistan-based Jammu and Kashmir refugees.
According to unofficial results announced by AJK Election Commission here, PML-N has emerged as single largest party by winning 31 seats, the ruling PPP and AJK MC managed to secure three seats each, PTI could get only two seats and one by Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party and an independent Candidate.
PTI AJK chief Barrister Sultan Mehmood and almost 20 of PPP ministers lost their seats in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawalakot, Kotli and Mirpur and Bhimber districts. They included Bazil Naqvi, Chaudhry Rasheed, Mian Waheed, Lateef Akbar, Qamar Zaman, Farzana Yaqub, Javed Budhanvi, Matloob Inqalabi, Afsar Shahid, Pervaiz Ashraf, Azhar Gillani and Javed Ayub.
Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, Chief of Muslim Conference and former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan managed to save their seats.
PML-N AJK chief and opposition leader Raja Farooq Hadier, Secretary General Shah Ghulam Qadir, and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party Chief Khalid Ibrahim have won the polls.
The constitutional term of incumbent AJK Legislative Assembly was being expired on July 24, 2016. Under Interim Act 1974, the interim constitution of AJK, it is mandatory to hold elections 60 days before the last date.
The polling were held on direct adult-franchise basis to 41 seats of the 49-member AJK Legislative Assembly including 29 meant for all 10 districts of AJK and 12 including six each meant for Pakistan-based refugees from Kashmir valley and Jammu & others.
Rest of eight reserved seats including five meant for women and one each for technocrats, ulema / Mashaikh and overseas Kashmiris will be filled in lateron by the Electoral College comprising above 41 members of the house to be elected on direct adult franchise basis.
A total of 423 candidates, including those belonging to various political parties and independents, were in the arena for 41 seats.
According to the final list released by the AJK Election Commission a total of 26,74,586 eligible registered voters. 5,429 polling stations comprising 8,008 booths in all 41 constituencies including 29 in AJK and 12 of Pakistan-based Jammu & Kashmir to exercise their right of vote.
The number of polling station in 29 AJK electoral constituencies is 4,462 comprising a total of 6,270 polling booths.
The AJK Election Commission had set up control room to receive the elections results from all the concerned District Returning Officers soon after the polling.
Polling was started at 8.00 in the morning and will continue till 5.00 p.m without any pause.
Over 30,000 Pak Army troops were deployed in 41 electoral constituencies of AJK legislative assembly to assist the civil administration for maintaining complete peaceful environment to ensure existence of complete law and order during holding of the polls in absolutely free, fair and impartial atmosphere.
The constituencies and winning candidates included LA-1 Mirpur 1 Chaudhry Masood Khalid (PML-N), LA-2 Chaudhry Abdul Majeed (PPP), LA-3 Mirpur 3 Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed (PML-N), LA-4 Mirpur (4) Rukhsar Ahmed (PML-N), LA-5 Bhimbar 1,Waqar Ahmed Noor (PML-N), LA-6 Bhimber (2) Ch Ali Shan (Independent), LA-7 Bhimbar 3, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq (PML-N), LA-8 Kotli (1) Malik Muhammad Nawaz Khan (MC), LA-9 Kotli-2 Farooq Sikandar Khan (PML-N), LA-10 Kotli (3) Raja Muhammad Naseer (PML-N), LA-11 (Kotli-4) Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin (PPP), LA-12 (Kotli-5), LA-13 (Bagh-1) Sardar Ateeq Ahmed Khan (MC), LA-14 Bagh (2) Muhammad Mushtaq Minhas (PML-N), LA-15 Bagh (3) Sardar Mir Akbar Khan (PML-N), LA-16 Bagh (4) Chaudhry Muhamamd Aziz (PML-N), LA-17 (Poonch and (Sundhnoti-1) Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin Gulshan (PML-N), LA-18 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-2) Sardar Khan Bahadur Khan (PML-N), LA-19 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-3) Khalid Ibrahim Khan (JK,PPP), LA-20 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-4 Muhammad Sagheer Khan (MC), LA-21 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-5) Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan, (PML-N), LA-22 (Poonch and Sundhnoti-6) Farooq Ahmed Tahir (PML-N), LA-23 (Neelum-1) Shah Ghulam Qadir (PML-N), LA-24 (Muzaffarabad-1) Noreen Arif (PML-N), LA-25 (Muzaffarabad-2) Chaudhry Shahzad Mehmood (PML-N),LA-26 Muzaffarabad-3, Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani (PML-N), LA-27 Raja Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan (PML-N), LA-28 Muzaffarabad-5 Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan (PML-N), LA-29 Muzaffarabad-6, Mustafa Bashir (PML-N), LA-30 Jammu and others-1, Nasir Hussain Dar (PMl-N), LA-31 (Jammu and others-2 Chaudhry Muhammad Ismaeel (PML-N), LA 32 Jammu and Other -3, Muhammad Ishaq (PML-N), LA-33 (Jammu and others-4), Mian Muhammad Yasir Rashid (PML-N), LA-34 (Jammu and others-5) Ch Javed Akhtar (PML-N),LA-35 Jammu and Others-6 Raja Muhammad Siddique PML-N, La-36 (Kashmir Valley-1) Amir Abdul Ghaffar (PPP), LA-37 (Kashmir Valley-2), Ghulam Mohy-ud-din Deewan (PTI), LA-38 (Kashmir Valley-(3) Syed Shaukat Ali Shah (PML-N), LA-39 Kashmir Valley (4) Asad Aleem Shah (PML-N), LA 40 (Kashmir Valley 5) Muhammad Ahmed Raza Qadri (PML-N) and LA-41 (Kashmir Valley-6) Abdul Majeed Khan (PTI).
