Polling under way for second phase of AJK Assembly elections

Polling for the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assembly elections began on Sunday morning across nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division and all 12 refugee constituencies.

Voting started at 8am and will continue uninterrupted until 5pm. More than 300 candidates are contesting the 21 seats, including nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division and 12 seats reserved for refugees settled in different parts of Pakistan.

According to the AJK Election Commission, 207 candidates are contesting the nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division, comprising five seats in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts. Another 137 candidates are contesting the 12 refugee constituencies.

The commission said 809,621 registered voters are eligible to vote in Muzaffarabad division, while the refugee constituencies have a combined electorate of 438,834.

A total of 1,483 polling stations have been established across Muzaffarabad division, including 533 declared highly sensitive, 741 sensitive and 209 normal. Another 1,057 polling stations have been set up for the 12 refugee constituencies.

Polling is also taking place in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad for refugee constituencies, with security arrangements in place across the country.