The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission has announced that the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections will now be held in three phases, replacing the previously announced single-day polling schedule.
Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said Mirpur Division will go to the polls on July 27, Muzaffarabad Division on August 2, while the third and final phase will be held in Poonch Division on August 10.
The revised schedule marks a significant change from the commission’s earlier plan, under which voting across all constituencies was to take place on July 27, 2026, between 8am and 5pm.
Over 1,200 Candidates in the Fray
According to The News, a total of 1,265 candidates have submitted nomination papers for 45 AJK Legislative Assembly constituencies, including 12 refugee constituencies.
Of these, 1,047 candidates are contesting 33 constituencies within Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while 218 candidates have filed nomination papers for the 12 Kashmiri refugee seats.
The Election Commission said the scrutiny process for all constituencies has been completed, with 41 nomination papers rejected on legal grounds.
Polling Arrangements Finalised
Election authorities said preparations are progressing according to schedule for the three-phase polls.
A total of 6,983 polling stations and 10,913 polling booths will be established to facilitate voting for 3,804,368 registered voters, who will elect representatives for 33 territorial seats and 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Within Azad Kashmir, 3,365,685 voters will cast their ballots at 5,926 polling stations. According to official figures, 52% of registered voters are men, while 48% are women.
Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore Elected New Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir
Political Parties Step Up Campaigns
The election campaign has intensified across the region, with political parties holding rallies, public meetings and corner gatherings ahead of polling.
A total of 22 political parties are participating in the elections.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have entered into an electoral alliance. Under the agreement, the PPP has left LA-14 (Bagh-I) and LA-23 (Poonch and Sudhanoti-VI) for the JUI-F, while contesting the remaining 43 seats.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has fielded 44 candidates, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) 38, Muslim Conference 36, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) 36, Pakistan National Party (PNP) 14, and Jammu Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP) nine candidates.
PTI Boycotts Elections
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced a boycott of the AJK elections in solidarity with the ongoing protests in the region.
The party, which had earlier planned to field independent candidates after once again failing to obtain an election symbol, said it would not participate in what it described as politics that ignores the voice of the Kashmiri people.
Senior Leaders to Address Rallies
Major political parties have also accelerated their campaigns with the participation of senior leadership.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been leading his party’s campaign in Azad Kashmir since July 14, while PML-N President Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to address election rallies in Muzaffarabad on July 21 and Mirpur on July 24, as campaigning enters its final phase ahead of voting.
