Re‑polling ordered at 23 Bagh polling stations could reshape Azad Jammu and Kashmir election race between PPP and PML‑N.

The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has ordered re‑polling at 23 polling stations in Bagh for the third phase of the general elections. The re‑polling will be held on August 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nine of the stations are located in LA‑15 Bagh‑II and fourteen are in LA‑16 Bagh‑III. In LA‑15, results from 204 of 213 polling stations had been received. Unofficial tallies show Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Ziaul Qamar leading with 18,825 votes, Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz (PML‑N) candidate Mushtaq Minhas receiving more than 15,000 votes, and Jamaat‑e‑Islami candidate Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Khan obtaining more than 12,000 votes. Re‑polling will take place at stations 114, 135, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148 and 186. In LA‑16, 172 of 186 stations had reported results. Unofficial figures show PML‑N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan ahead of PPP’s Sardar Qamar‑uz‑Zaman by 3,225 votes. Re‑polling will be conducted at stations 28, 29, 40, 49, 50, 51, 77, 91, 109, 110, 111, 112, 143 and 149. The third phase also included a disputed outcome in LA‑17 Bagh‑IV, where PPP candidate Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was declared winner over PML‑N’s Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz. Aziz rejected the result, staged a sit‑in outside the returning officer’s office, and alleged vote tampering. He claimed, based on his campaign data, that he had won by 8,600 votes and accused the returning officer of bias. In LA‑14 Bagh‑I, Awami Dast‑o‑Baazo candidate Sajid Iqbal Abbasi won with 40,702 votes compared to 19,542 for former AJK prime minister Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan, based on 213 of 214 stations, giving him a margin of more than 21,000 votes. With results from 38 constituencies, the PML‑N holds 24 seats, the PPP holds 12 seats and Awami Dast‑o‑Baazo holds one seat. The final composition of the assembly will be known after the re‑polling and the remaining results are finalized. Polling in seven constituencies of Poonch and Sudhnoti divisions was postponed and will be held later. Two constituencies—LA‑27 Muzaffarabad‑I and LA‑28 Muzaffarabad‑II—were delayed because of heavy rain and landslides but were held on Tuesday with heightened security arrangements. PML‑N won LA‑27 and the PPP won LA‑28, closing the second phase of the elections. The first two phases covered Mirpur Division, nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad Division and twelve refugee seats. Results for all 21 constituencies in the second phase were notified, bringing that phase to an end. The third phase, covering Bagh and Haveli, is expected to influence the balance of power in the AJK Legislative Assembly. Security tensions have continued in Poonch Division. Clashes between police and members of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee occurred in Rawalakot. Reports of injuries and casualties emerged, but the details could not be independently verified. The re‑polling could reshape the race between PPP and PML‑N in Bagh, but the final outcome will depend on the completion of the re‑polling and certification of the remaining results.