MUZAFFARABAD: People of Azad Kashmir have voted generally in favor of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) the first leg of the historic Local Government elections held the other day. According to unofficial results available with MM News, PTI has won 35 seats in Azad Kashmir LG election while the PPP bagged 23, PML-N secured 9, Muslim Conference grabbed 3 seats while independent candidates secured 4 seats.
The election across the mountainous region, which comes after a gap of at least 31 years and on the order of the Supreme Court, is being conducted in three phases, partly because the federal government was unable to perform its job to supply additional security personnel. The second and third phases of the election will be conducted in the Poonch and Mirpur administrative divisions on December 3 and 8.
A total of 2,716 candidates, including 31 women contested the first leg of the elections. The spokesperson said 4,500 personnel of the Azad Kashmir police were deployed across the division to protect the polling process.
The elections were generally conducted in peaceful manner, except that four persons, including a woman, sustained minor wounds in two incidents at three polling stations in Muzaffarabad district.
According to Divisional Commissioner Masood-ur-Rehman, three persons suffered minor wounds in Katheli area while one woman was injured, reportedly during aerial firing between rival political workers, in Kumi Kot area, both located towards the south of state capital.
Two persons were arrested apart from postponement of polling in Kumi Kot, he said.
Polling was also cancelled in Beesanwali village of Neelum valley after six female voters died in a road accident while on way back to home.
The number of eligible-voting population in the division stands at 695,049 — 411,072 in Muzaffarabad, 154,832 in Jhelum Valley, and 129,145 voters in the Neelum Valley — who will elect 595 councillors. 1,323 stations and 1,884 booths were set up across the division, where 6,966 officials, including presiding officers and polling officers performed duties.
