MUZAFFARABAD: Polling is underway today in the second phase of the 2026 general elections for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, with voting taking place across 21 constituencies.
The second phase covers nine general seats in the Muzaffarabad Division and 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing in different cities of Pakistan. More than 1.2 million registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots.
Polling began at 8am and will continue without interruption until 5pm.
In the nine Muzaffarabad Division constituencies, 208 candidates are contesting the elections, with 809,621 registered voters eligible to vote. Meanwhile, 143 candidates are competing for the 12 refugee seats.
A total of 1,483 polling stations have been established across the districts of Muzaffarabad, with heavy security deployed at highly sensitive locations.
Constituencies LA-28, LA-29 and LA-31 have been declared highly sensitive. Several prominent political figures, including PML-N’s Shah Ghulam Qadir, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider and Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, are expected to face tough contests.
In Rawalpindi Division, three refugee seats are being contested by 35 candidates, with 27,907 registered voters eligible to participate.
For security purposes, 4,000 police personnel have been deployed, while 31 of the 175 polling stations have been classified as sensitive.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, polling is also being held for LA-45 Kashmir Valley-VI, with 41 polling stations established across 21 districts. A total of 7,655 voters are registered in the constituency.
According to the election schedule, results for all constituencies will be announced two hours after polling concludes.
