The Election Commission had postponed the polling process for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections in three union councils of LA-28 and in LA-27 in Muzaffarabad due to heavy rains and blocked roads. The process has now resumed on Tuesday.
Polling opened at 8 am and is open until 5 pm. Polling began at polling stations as early as the morning as election officials continued the polling process which is being conducted under a tight security set-up.
Due to extreme weather conditions, the Election Commission had postponed polling in LA-27, and in three union councils of LA-28 on 2nd August. At that time, it was not possible to bring polling staff and election materials to certain areas.
Read more: Situation in Muzaffarabad remains normal as election preparations continue
The second round of AJK elections was conducted in all the constituencies of Muzaffarabad on the scheduled date, but LA-27 and LA-28 were not included due to disruptions caused by the weather.
Election officials say approximately 106,000 registered voters are eligible to vote in LA-27, with nearly 50,000 of those being women.
In order to make this possible 197 polling stations have been set up in the constituency.
The district administration has declared a public holiday for Muzaffarabad to allow the voters and government workers to cast their votes without any hindrance.
Authorities hope the measure will help ensure a higher voter turnout.
Polling stations have been secured, and security forces have been deployed to uphold security and ensure that the polling process is peaceful and transparent.
The latest polling comes after first two phases of AJK polls in which the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 23 seats, making it clear that it holds a majority in the assembly while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took nine seats.
The third phase of the polling, which would be held in the Poonch division on August 10, would be the final stage of the electoral process, the election authorities said, adding that the preparations for the final stage are already underway.