LG elections completed in four districts of Poonch Division of Azad J&K; PTI tops with 229 seats, PML-N 129 secures seats & PPP 104 seats
ISLAMABAD, Dec 04, (SABAH): The local government elections have been completed in four districts of Poonch Division of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secured success in district Bagh and Sadhnoti and Opposition parties Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have secured success in Haveli and Poonch districts.
The local government elections were held in four districts of Poonch Division including Bagh, Palandari, Haveli and Rawlakot. Total 3,850 candidates including 8 women took part on 787 wards of the 88 union councils, four district councils, two municipal corporations, municipal committee and five town committees.
According to the Election Commission, the results of 708 out of 787 seats have been received.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won first place with 229 seats in the Poonch division in the second phase of the local elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), however emerged as a single largest party with 229 seats; whereas JK PP bagged 28 seats, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan 7, and Muslim Conference, Jammat-e-Islami, and Jamiat Ulema Islam achieved 4 seats each.
The PTI was in first place with 229 seats, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was second with 129 seats and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) came third with 104 seats.
According to the spokesperson of the Jamaat-e-Islami Azad Kashmir Raja Zakir, JI Azad Kashmir has secured two district council and 35 local council seats in district Bagh. According to Raja Zakir, JI Azad Kashmir has secured one district council seat in district Sadhnoti.
Like Muzaffarabad, the mayorship of Rawalkot is also likely to fall to the opposition. The former ruling party will also not be able to appoint a chairman to Khai Gula, Hajira, Abbaspur and Dhirkot municipal committees.
In the second phase of LG polls on Saturday, over 1.16 million citizens voted in all four districts of the Poonch division, including Rawalakot, Sudhanoti, Bagh and Haveili.
At least 3,500 armed troops of civil forces, including Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police, assisted the local civil administration and the AJK police in ensuring the holding of the civic polls in a free, fair, and peaceful manner.
The AJK LG elections are being held in three phases on a political party basis. However, independent candidates are also in the running to contest the polls and get into the civic bodies of all categories across the liberated territory.
The polling in the third and last phase of the elections will be held in all three districts of Mirpur Division, including Mirpur, Kotli, and Bhimber, on December 8.
A total of 1.2 million registered voters will exercise their right to vote. Kotli district has 563,016 registered voters, Mirpur district 366,043, and Bhimber district 303,020.
A total of 1,026 polling stations would be set up in Kotli district, 625 in Mirpur district, and 538 in Bhimber district, with 1,602, 924, and 850 polling booths, respectively, to facilitate both male and female registered voters.