PML-N Takes Early Lead in First Phase of AJK Assembly Elections as Unofficial Results Emerge

Muzaffarabad:** Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has secured an early lead in the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, according to unofficial and provisional results. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is currently in second place.
Polling was held on Monday in 13 constituencies across the Mirpur, Kotli, and Bhimber districts. Voting officially ended at 5:00 p.m., with an additional hour provided for voters already in queues. The counting process is underway, and unofficial results continue to emerge.
According to complete unofficial results from 10 of the 13 constituencies, PML-N has won **seven seats**, while the PPP has secured **three seats**.
Constituencies Won by PML-N
LA-1 Mirpur-1:** Azhar Sadiq defeated PPP’s Muhammad Afser Shahid with **15,427 votes** against **9,832**.
LA-4 Mirpur-4:** Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed won with **20,172 votes**, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Sohaib Arshad.
LA-7 Bhimber-3:** Chaudhry Tariq Farooq secured victory with **35,490 votes**, ahead of independent candidate Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq.
LA-9 Kotli-2:** Umair Naeem won with **31,080 votes**, defeating PPP’s Javed Iqbal Budhanvi.
LA-11 Kotli-4:** Muhammad Asif emerged victorious with **26,190 votes**, defeating PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Akhlaq.
LA-12 Kotli-5:** Muhammad Riasat Khan secured **35,168 votes** to defeat PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin.
LA-13 Kotli-6:** Raja Ayaz Ahmed Khan won with **21,856 votes**, while Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s Nisar Ansar Abdali finished second.
Constituencies Won by PPP
LA-2 Mirpur-2:** Qasim Majeed won with **12,904 votes**, defeating PML-N’s Azeem Bakhsh Chaudhry.
LA-3 Mirpur-3:** Chaudhry Yasir Sultan secured victory with **11,676 votes**, ahead of PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed.
LA-8 Kotli-1:** Zafar Iqbal Malik won with **19,535 votes**, defeating PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Nawaz Khan.
Counting Continues in Three Constituencies
Vote counting is still underway in the remaining three constituencies:
LA-5 Bhimber-1:** After results from 115 of 176 polling stations, PML-N’s Waqar Ahmad Noor is leading with **21,573 votes**, followed by PPP’s Chaudhry Pervaiz Ashraf with **18,406 votes**.
LA-6 Bhimber-2:** With results from 100 of 195 polling stations, PML-N’s Chaudhry Muhammad Razzaq is ahead with **21,210 votes**, while Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s Ali Shan Chaudhry is in second place with 11,354 votes**.
LA-10 Kotli-3:** After results from 36 of 169 polling stations, PPP’s Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin is leading with **6,999 votes**, while PML-N’s Fateh Mahmood-ul-Hasan has received **3,560 votes**.
The Election Commission is expected to release official results after the completion of vote counting in all constituencies.