MUZAFFARABAD: The outcome of two closely contested constituencies in Pak-administered Kashmir remained uncertain on Tuesday after the Election Commission ordered re-polling at 23 polling stations in Bagh, adding another twist to an election already overshadowed by a boycott call, political tension and questions over voter participation.
Re-polling will take place on August 15 at nine polling stations in LA-15 Bagh-II and 14 in LA-16 Bagh-III, from 8am to 5pm. The decision followed reports submitted by the respective returning officers.
In LA-15, results from 204 of 213 polling stations had been received before the re-polling order. PPP candidate Ziaul Qamar was leading with 18,825 votes, ahead of PML-N’s Mushtaq Minhas, while Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Khan was in third place, according to government sources.
The contest in LA-16 was even tighter. PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan held a lead of 3,225 votes over PPP’s Sardar Qamar-uz-Zaman after results from 172 of 186 polling stations. The final outcome will now depend on the votes cast at the 14 stations where re-polling has been ordered.
The election has also been marked by a strikingly low level of public participation. Independent reporting has described turnout in the first phase as exceptionally low, with one assessment putting participation below 25%. Some independent observers have estimated turnout in several areas at around 15 to 20%, attributing the weak participation largely to the boycott call issued by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
The boycott has given the elections a different character. While the PML-N and PPP have continued their battle for seats, a significant section of voters has stayed away from the ballot, raising questions about the strength of the mandate that will emerge from the polls.
The dispute has also extended beyond Bagh. In LA-17 Bagh-IV, PPP candidate and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was declared the winner, but PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz rejected the result and demanded a recount, alleging irregularities.
Meanwhile, the broader tally has placed the PML-N in a strong position. With 38 constituencies decided, the party has secured 24 seats, compared with 12 for the PPP and one for Awami Dast-o-Baazo.
Yet the political picture is not complete. Re-polling in Bagh and postponed voting in seven Poonch and Sudhnoti constituencies could still alter the final balance.
For now, the election has produced winners at the ballot box but the low turnout and the boycott call have left a deeper question hanging over Pak-administered Kashmir: how broad will the next government’s mandate really be?
