Polling for third phase of AJK elections underway in Poonch Division's Bagh, Haveli districts

• Around 460,000 voters to exercise right to vote.
• Polling to continue until 5pm: election commissioner.
• Polls in Poonch and Sudhnoti district postponed.

Polling for the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections began on Monday in four constituencies across Bagh and Haveli districts of Poonch Division.

The AJK chief election commissioner said that around 460,000 voters would exercise their right to vote in the four constituencies.

Polling began at 8am and will continue until 5pm, according to the AJK Election Commission.

The chief election commissioner said that security arrangements had also been completed in all four constituencies to facilitate the polling process.

Meanwhile, elections for five seats in Poonch district and two seats in Sudhnoti district have been postponed.

The AJK chief election commissioner had previously said that once the issue of the sit-ins is resolved, they would be in a position to announce the polling date for Rawalakot within the next few days.

In the first phase of the AJK elections, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won nine of 13 seats in the Mirpur division, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured four.

In the second phase, voters cast ballots for nine seats in the Muzaffarabad division and 12 seats reserved for refugees. The PML-N won 15 seats, while the PPP secured six.

The PML-N has emerged as the dominant party in the region, securing 24 seats, while the PPP has won 10 seats in the first two phases of the elections.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on August 8 that the PML-N needed just six more seats to secure a two-thirds majority in AJK.

A day before that, PPP Chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the PML-N was mistaken in believing it would form the government in AJK, saying: "In fact, their [PML-N's] government in Islamabad is also at risk."

He reiterated that the countdown for the PML-N government has started, adding that "it was started by their own people."