The first phase of polling was held on Monday across 13 constituencies in Mirpur, Kotli, and Bhimber. Voting officially ended at 5:00 p.m., after which voters already waiting in line were given an additional hour to cast their ballots before vote counting began.
According to the unofficial and provisional results, PML-N secured victories in LA-1 Mirpur-I, LA-4 Mirpur-IV, LA-5 Bhimber-I, LA-6 Bhimber-II, LA-7 Bhimber-III, LA-9 Kotli-II, LA-11 Kotli-IV, LA-12 Kotli-V, and LA-13 Kotli-VI.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won LA-2 Mirpur-II, LA-3 Mirpur-III, LA-8 Kotli-I, and LA-10 Kotli-III.
Following the announcement of the results, Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said in a post on X that the people of Mirpur had expressed their confidence in PML-N.
She stated that the electorate had once again demonstrated that the development of Azad Kashmir is linked with PML-N and expressed confidence that voters would reaffirm their support in the next phase of the elections on August 2.
However, PPP leader and former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf alleged electoral irregularities at several polling stations and demanded re-polling under military supervision at disputed polling stations in LA-12.
He claimed that PPP polling agents were forcibly removed from several polling stations and alleged that armed individuals interfered in the electoral process, with complaints of alleged bogus voting also emerging.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf urged the AJK Election Commission not to issue the final result for LA-12 until an investigation is completed and called for fresh polling at the affected polling stations.
Later, Chief Election Commissioner of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Justice (Retd.) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, said the first phase of the elections had been conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner.
He stated that all political parties actively participated in the electoral process, polling remained largely peaceful, and voters turned out in significant numbers to exercise their democratic right.
He added that individuals accused of disrupting polling in Samahni had been arrested, while law enforcement agencies played an effective role in maintaining peace and order.
The election results remain unofficial and provisional. The allegations raised by the Pakistan Peoples Party regarding electoral irregularities have not been independently verified by Pakistan Matters.
