AJK election outcome remains uncertain as re-polling ordered at 23 stations
Re-polling could reshape the race as PML-N and PPP remain locked in close contests across key Bagh constituencies
The outcome of two constituencies in the third phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general elections remained uncertain on Tuesday as the Election Commission ordered re-polling at 23 polling stations in Bagh. Re-polling is scheduled for August 15 from 8am to 5pm, with 14 stations in LA-16 Bagh-III and nine in LA-15 Bagh-II, as confirmed by an Election Commission spokesperson.
The decision to re-poll was based on reports submitted by returning officers. In LA-15, results from 204 of the 213 polling stations had been received, with PPP candidate Ziaul Qamar leading with 18,825 votes and PML-N candidate Mushtaq Minhas with over 15,000 votes. In LA-16, PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan led PPP s Sardar Qamar-uz-Zaman by 3,225 votes in the latest unofficial results.
The final result in LA-16 will be pending until re-polling takes place at 11 polling stations. The third phase also saw a disputed result in LA-17 Bagh-IV, where PPP candidate Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was declared the winner over PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz. Aziz rejected the result and staged a sit-in after his request for a recount was rejected, alleging tampering and claiming he had won by 8,600 votes.
In LA-14 Bagh-I, Awami Dast-o-Baazo candidate Sajid Iqbal Abbasi won over former AJK prime minister Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan with over 21,000 votes. The PML-N has secured 24 seats, the PPP 12, and Awami Dast-o-Baazo one as of the latest tally, while the result of LA-16 remains pending.
Written by urgent.news from The Express Tribune - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
