National News

MUZAFFARABAD, July 16 (APP): As many as 427 candidates of
different political parties as well as independent ones, are in
the run for the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative
Assembly elections, scheduled for July 21.
According to the final list issued by the AJK Election
Commission, 328 contestants will be vying from 29 constituencies
of AJK’s nine districts, while 99 will be competing from 12
constituencies of Kashmiri refugees, spreading over four provinces
of Pakistan.
The highest number of candidates in the run is from AJK’s
Capital Muzaffarabad where 67 candidates are in the run for the
six constituencies, which have a total of 429,276 votes, including
191,112 female votes.
President PML-N Azad Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider is contesting
from LA-XXVIII, Muzaffarabad-V, where 12 other candidates are also
in the run.
Muzaffarabad is followed by district Poonch where 51 candidates
from four constituencies will be trying their luck. The total
registered voters in district Poonch are 310,968, which include
141,334 female voters.
Candidate-wise Mirpur district stands at number three where
48 contenders will be challenging each other from four constituencies,
which have a total of 233,518 voters – 127,274 males and 106,244
females.
AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed is contesting from
LA-II, Mirpur-II, where in total 16 candidates are in the run.
While President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Azad Kashmir
Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry is in the run from LA-III,
Mirpur-III, where in total seven candidates are contesting.
A total of 47 candidates will be competing from five
constituencies of District Kotli, which also surpasses
AJK’s all districts in number of voters with 442,839 people
(246,230 males and 196,609 females) to exercise their right
to vote.
Sardar Farooq Sikandar Khan, the son of top PML-N Azad
Kashmir leader Sardar Sikander Hayat is contesting from
LA-IX, Kotli-II.
From the three constituencies of Bhimber district, which
have a total of 243,165 votes, 45 candidates are in the run.
District Sudhnoti with 166,143 votes will see 29 candidates
facing each other from its two constituencies, whereas from
district Bagh, which has three constituencies for its 232,572
voters, a total of 25 candidates are in the run.
All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference’s President and
former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attiq Ahmed Khan is vying
from LA-XIII, Bagh-I.
District Neelam and district Havelli (Kahuta) have one
constituency each for their 96,584 and 80,637 voters, respectively.
From Neelam eight candidates are competing, while the same number
of candidates is also in run from Havelli.
A total of 99 contestants are running for the 12 constituencies,
spreading over four provinces of Pakistan where overall 438,884
people will cost their votes.