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The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the leading party in the first phase of the 2026 Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, winning nine of the 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, according to complete unofficial and provisional results.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured victory in the remaining four constituencies after polling concluded peacefully on Monday.
The Election Commission had extended polling by one hour—from 5pm to 6pm—due to an unusually high voter turnout. Voters already inside polling stations or waiting in queues before the deadline were allowed to cast their ballots.
PML-N wins nine constituencies
According to the unofficial results, PML-N candidates won the following seats:
- LA-1 Mirpur-I: Azhar Sadiq – 15,427 votes
- LA-4 Mirpur-IV: Chaudhry Rukhsar – 20,172 votes
- LA-5 Barnala: Waqar Ahmad Noor – 24,307 votes
- LA-6 Bhimber-II: Abdul Razaq – 28,918 votes
- LA-7 Bhimber-III: Chaudhry Tariq Farooq – 35,287 votes
- LA-9 Kotli-II: Umair Naeem – 31,080 votes
- LA-11 Kotli-IV: Muhammad Asif (winner in complete results)
- LA-12 Kotli-V: Raja Riyasat – 13,295 votes
- LA-13 Kotli-VI: Ayaz Ahmed – 22,826 votes
PPP wins four seats
The PPP secured victories in four constituencies:
- LA-2 Mirpur-II: Qasim Majeed won with 12,952 votes, defeating PML-N's Azim Bakhsh, who received 8,256 votes.
- LA-3 Mirpur City: Yasir Sultan won with 11,676 votes, while PML-N's Chaudhry Saeed secured 9,832 votes.
- LA-8 Kotli-I: Zafar Iqbal defeated PML-N's Malik Nawaz.
- LA-10 Kotli-III: Chaudhry Yasin defeated PML-N's Fateh Mehmood.
Polling remained peaceful
Polling across Mirpur, Bhimber and Kotli remained peaceful under strict security arrangements involving police, other law enforcement agencies and Pakistan Army personnel.
Mirpur Division has approximately 1.44 million registered voters, including 724,811 men and 675,626 women.
A total of 2,316 polling stations were established, including 1,241 highly sensitive, 724 sensitive, and 351 normal polling stations.
Overall, 288 candidates contested elections across the 13 constituencies, with LA-3 Mirpur City recording the highest number of contestants at 34.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal praised the peaceful conduct of polling and urged voters to reject rumours and continue strengthening the democratic process through participation.
