PML-N sweeps AJK polls, routs PPP

• PM Nawaz’s party bags 32 seats in 41-member AJK legislative assembly elections, PPP and PTI humbled with two seats each
• Imran Khan accepts poll results, congratulates PML-N, Bilawal tells party to investigate ‘possible rigging’
• PM Nawaz to visit Muzaffarabad today, will address jubilant supporters at National Stadium

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has swept the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections and is all set to form a government in the valley, unconfirmed reports received from the 41 constituencies of the self-governing administrative division indicate.

According to unofficial results in till the filing of this report, the PML-N had bagged 32 seats and the Muslim Conference three, while both the PTI and PPP managed to secure two seats each; one seat was won by an independent candidate.

Earlier, polling for the 41 AJK constituencies started at 8am and continued till 5pm without any break.

In all, 423 candidates contested for 41 seats, of which 29 seats were meant for all 10 districts of the AJK and 12 for Pakistan-based refugees from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Among the contestants were four former prime ministers and over a dozen ministers of the state.

According to the AJK Election Commission, there were 2,674,586 registered voters in all ten districts: 1,228,930 male voters and 1,006,772 female voters. Pakistan-based AJK refugees also form a significant portion of the electoral rolls with 438,884 registered voters (2,54,817 males and 1,84,067 females) in 12 constituencies.

According to a breakup, two seats each were in Karachi and Rawalpindi, and one each in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Multan.

Of the 44 registered political parties in AJK, a strong competition was expected between candidates of the PML-N, PTI and PPP.

According to unofficial results, Sardar Ateeq of the Muslim Conference won from the LA 13 with a lead of 19,086 votes; PPP’s Chaudhry Abdul Majeed clinched the LA-2 constituency; and Sardar Yaqoob, who led the PML-N in the elections, also won from his constituency.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has congratulated his party’s AJK leadership over PML-N’s landslide victory in the elections. He said that the PML-N would fulfill the promises made to its supporters.

The premier will visit Muzaffarabad on Friday (today) and thank the voters for their confidence in the PML-N in his address at the National Stadium.

It may be mentioned here that it will be the first address of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif post-surgery. Before departure to London, PM Sharif had addressed an election rally in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, PPP Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called a report from party’s AJK leadership over the conduct of the polls and probability of rigging by the ruling party in the Centre.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan, on the other hand, accepted the results and congratulated the PML-N for the landslide victory in a tweet.

Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq said the party accepts the AJK polls. He said this was the first time the PTI took part in the AJK elections, adding that it was a trend that whoever was in power in the Centre won the AJK elections.

It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Imran Khan has partaken in their parties’ aggressive electioneering in the valley.