Muzaffarabad, August 16, 2026: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission on Sunday announced the schedule for elections to eight reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly, with polling set to be held on August 24.
According to a notification issued by the commission, the elections will fill five seats reserved for women, one seat for Ulema-e-Deen or Mashaikh, one seat for Jammu and Kashmir State Subjects residing abroad, and one seat reserved for technocrats and other professionals.
Polling will be held at the AJK Assembly on August 24 from 10am to 1pm. The reserved-seat elections will be contested by the 38 directly elected members who have so far been declared successful.
Under the schedule, candidates will be able to submit nomination papers to the returning officer on August 20 between 9am and 2pm. The returning officer will subsequently scrutinise the papers and publish the list of validly nominated candidates.
Candidates or their representatives can file appeals against acceptance or rejection of nomination papers with the AJK Election Commission on August 21 between 9am and noon.
The Chief Election Commissioner will hear the appeals on August 22, while decisions will be announced on August 23. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations by 2pm on August 23.
Under Article 22(1) of the AJK Constitution, the Legislative Assembly consists of 53 members. Of these, 45 are elected directly through adult franchise, while eight are elected by the directly elected members on reserved seats.
The reserved seats comprise five for women and one each for Ulema-e-Deen or Mashaikh, Jammu and Kashmir State Subjects residing abroad, and technocrats and other professionals.
However, polling for seven of the 45 general seats, including five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district, could not be held because of the law and order situation. As a result, the reserved-seat elections will be conducted by the 38 directly elected members elected so far, representing about 84.4 per cent of the total directly elected membership.
Meanwhile, PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a party meeting to discuss the allocation of the five women’s reserved seats in the AJK Assembly.
According to the party, the meeting reviewed the reserved-seat issue in detail and appreciated the active participation of women in the AJK elections, describing it as an encouraging development for the democratic process.
The AJK elections have been conducted in phases amid unrest and security concerns across parts of the region.
The PML-N emerged as the leading party in the first two phases, securing 24 seats. It won nine constituencies in Mirpur division during the first phase on July 27 and another 15 seats in the second phase on August 2, covering Muzaffarabad division and the 12 refugee constituencies.
The third phase was originally scheduled to cover all 11 constituencies of Poonch division, including three in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti.
However, citing law and order concerns, the Election Commission allowed polling to proceed only in Bagh and Haveli.
Polling could not be held in the remaining five constituencies of Poonch and two constituencies of Sudhnoti. The commission has yet to announce fresh polling dates for those seats.
