Local government elections were held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on 27 November (Muzaffarabad division), 3 December 2022 (Poonch division) and 8 December 2022 (Mirpur division) in three phases. These local government elections were the first ones in more than three decades. The results were declared for each of the three phases on their respective voting days. The elections will be held under the supervision of Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

In phase I elections were held in the Muzaffarabad division's three districts of Muzaffarabad, Neelum, and Jhelum Valley. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) became largest party in first phase by leading in two of the three districts followed by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML(N)), which were the 2nd and 3rd largest parties respectively. Voting began at 8:00 am and ran until 5:00 pm without any interruption.

In phase II elections were held in the Poonch division's four districts of Poonch, Haveli, Bagh and Sudhanoti. According to results from the second round of the local government elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in the lead with 259 seats. Following the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 139 seats and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP)) took third position with 125 seats. Voting began at 8:00 am and ran until 5:00 pm without any interruption.

In phase III elections were held in the Mirpur division's three districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber. According to results from the third round of the local government elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was in the lead with 374 seats. Following the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 231 seats and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) took third position with 140 seats. Voting began at 8:00 am and ran until 5:00 pm without any interruption.

Background The Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir ordered the three-phase election in the mountainous region, which is being held after at least a 31-year hiatus. Part of the reason for this is that the federal government was unable to fulfil its responsibility to provide additional security personnel. Since the previous Local government (LG) elections in AJK were held in 1991 and the subsequent polls started to be scheduled in 1995, each government has been managing the LG institutions through the use of "administrators," who can either be government employees or party members.

The subject of LG elections had been pending in the AJK's superior courts since the beginning of the previous PML-N administration. The AJK Supreme Court had ordered the government to make preparations for LG elections by August 2022 in light of the 2017 census in December of last year after protracted legal proceedings.

On the government's request, the AJK Supreme Court reviewed the deadline in July 2022 and ordered that LG elections be held by October 15, 2022. The electoral commission then set the polling date for September 28. After then, the PPP and PML-N requested yet another extension, this time until March 2023, but the Supreme Court rejected their motion and extended the deadline to November 30 instead. The phase-wise election was announced for Muzaffarabad, Poonch, and Mirpur divisions on Nov 27, Dec 3, and Dec 8, respectively, even though the commission had set Nov 27 for voting throughout AJK due to Islamabad's refusal to provide an additional 40,000 personnel.

Elections In terms of political parties, Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), will likely face off against each other in the elections. The PML-N and the PPP, two opposition parties, have teamed up. The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Party, the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, and Jamaat-i-Islami are contesting the election on their own and aim to win a respectable number of seats.

Election day 1,323 polling places will be staffed by around 4,500 police officers, while a Quick Response Force (QRF) made up of 500 police officers will be on alert in the background to handle any emergencies. The divisional commissioners dispelled the notion that security measures were minimal by stating that the entire division had been split into 11 zones, 130 sectors, and 64 QRF points, each of which would be overseen by senior police and administration officials who had been given first-class magistrate authority.

Seats +Division wise seatsDivisionDistrict councilMunicipal corporationTown committeeMunicipal committeeUnion councilTotalMuzaffarabad division74361410535669Poonch division84363018696866Mirpur division116609498491083Total272132537720802618

Candidates

Muzaffarabad division +Muzaffarabad divisionDistrictDistrict councilUnion councilTown committeeMunicipal committeeMunicipal corporationTotalUnopposedMuzaffarabad27410785421216164314Jhelum Valley101422813 -5444Neelum83422159 -5291Total45819227743216271619

Poonch division +Poonch divisionDistrictDistrict councilUnion councilTown committeeMunicipal committeeMunicipal corporationTotalUnopposedPoonch150659743016910822Haveli61302 -9 -3721Bagh22590526 -931249 -Sudhanoti1446325450 -880 -Total58024981548926235833

Mirpur division +Mirpur divisionDistrictDistrict councilUnion councilTown committeeMunicipal committeeMunicipal corporationTotalUnopposedMirpur143510 -13523610243Kotli4301553154786213116Bhimber2147922967 -1102 -Total787285544249322425719

Polling stations +Polling stationsSr. NoDistrictPolling station 1Mirpur6252Bhimber5353Muzaffarabad7914Neelam Valley2435Poonch6946Haveli1747Bagh5588Sudhanoti4369Hattian27610Kotli1025Total5357

Voter statistics +Voter stats AJK and refugeesDistrictMaleFemaleTotalRefugeesNeelam Valley69,47559,823129 -Muzaffarabad219,173189,695408,868616Jhelum Valley83,54571,229154,77416Bagh157,670142,478300,148362Haveli54,26247,486101,748 -Poonch204,586182,588387,174 -Sudhanoti120,641107,302227,943 -Kotli305,297263,754569,0511,133Mirpur189,177176,801365,978 -Bhimber161,076141,944303,020 -Total AJK voters1,564,9021,383,1002,948,002 -Total refugees voters2,127Total voters2,950,129

Results

Muzaffarabad division (Phase I)

Party wise results +Party wise resultsPartyDistrict councilUnion councilTown committeeMunicipal committeeMunicipal corporationTotal seats wonPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf32148548197Pakistan People's Party22159257195Pakistan Muslim League (N)11985112127AJK Muslim Conference31800223Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party100001Jamaat-i-Islami010001Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan 010001Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)010001Independent4105207118Total seats74535141036669

Results by district council +District councilSeatsRefPPPPTIPML (N)AJK Muslim ConferenceJK PPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiTLPIndependent Muzaffarabad4016153310002Jhelum ValleyTBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBANeelumTBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATotalTBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBA

Results by Municipal corporation +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPML (N)PTIPPPAJK Muslim ConferenceTLPJK PPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiIndependent Muzaffarabad351277200007Jhelum ValleyTBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBANeelumTBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATotalTBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBA

Poonch division (Phase II) Party wise results +Party wise resultsPartyDistrict councilUnion councilTown committeeMunicipal committeeMunicipal corporationTotal seats wonPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf3020012611259Pakistan Muslim League (N)23106343139Pakistan People's Party12100526125Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party51520830AJK Muslim Conference42510030Jamaat-i-Islami070007Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan 060006Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)130004Independent9236768263Total seats84698301836866

Results by district council +District councilSeatsRefPTIPML (N)PPPJK PPAJK Muslim ConferenceJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiTLPIndependent Bagh281333040005Poonch27696500001Sudhanoti191050001003Haveli10163000000Total84302312541009

Results by municipal corporation +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPPPJK PPPML (N)AJK Muslim ConferenceTLPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiIndependent Poonch22248300005Bagh14920000003Haveli0000000000Sudhanoti0000000000Total361168300008

Results by union council +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPML (N)PPPAJK Muslim ConferenceJK PPJamaat-i-IslamiTLPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Independent Poonch24365333211555186Bagh20452152523020089Sudhanoti152673171001243Haveli971627360000018Total6982001061002515763236

Results by municipal committee +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPML (N)PPPAJK Muslim ConferenceTLPJK PPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiIndependent Sudhanoti8420000002Poonch7102000004Haveli3120000000Bagh0000000000Total18642000006

Results by town committee +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPPPPML (N)JK PPAJK Muslim ConferenceTLPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiIndependent Poonch16641200003Sudhanoti10602000002Bagh4010010002Haveli0000000000Total301253210007

Mirpur division (Phase III)

Party wise results +Party wise resultsPartyDistrict councilUnion councilTown committeeMunicipal committeeMunicipal corporationTotal seats wonPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf5527711427374Pakistan Muslim League (N)261783915231Pakistan People's Party19113062140AJK Muslim Conference061108Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan 070007Jamaat-i-Islami010001Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party000000Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)000000Independent1626141916316Total seats116849949601079

Results by district council +District councilSeatsRefPTIPML (N)PPPJK PPAJK Muslim ConferenceJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiTLPIndependent Mirpur272031000003Kotli10TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBABhimber27TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATotal82TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBA

Results by municipal corporation +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPPPJK PPPML (N)AJK Muslim ConferenceTLPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiIndependent Mirpur14TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBAKotli0TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBABhimber22TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATotal36TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBA

Results by union council +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPPPPML (N)AJK Muslim ConferenceJK PPJamaat-i-IslamiTLPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Independent Mirpur204TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBAKotli97TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBABhimber243TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATotal696TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBA

Results by municipal committee +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPML (N)PPPAJK Muslim ConferenceTLPJK PPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiIndependent Mirpur0TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBAKotli3TBATBATBATBA0TBATBATBATBABhimber7TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATotal18TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBA

Results by town committee +Municipal corporationSeatsRefPTIPPPPML (N)JK PPAJK Muslim ConferenceTLPJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)Jamaat-i-IslamiIndependent Mirpur4TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBAKotli0TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBABhimber16TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATotal30TBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBATBA

See also

2021 Azad Kashmiri general election Azad Jammu & Kashmir Election Commission

References