The main electoral process for the 2026 Azad Jammu and Kashmir general elections concluded on Saturday after re-polling in the two remaining Bagh constituencies, leaving the PML-N as the largest party in the Legislative Assembly.
The final contests produced one victory each for the PML-N and PPP, taking the PML-N’s overall strength to 25 seats, while the PPP finished with 12.
Voting had remained incomplete at 23 polling stations across LA-15 Bagh-II and LA-16 Bagh-III, requiring re-polling before the two results could be finalised.
In LA-15 Central Bagh, PPP candidate Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar secured 17,118 votes to defeat PML-N’s Mushtaq Minhas, who received 15,227. The PPP candidate won by 1,891 votes after voting was repeated at nine polling stations.
The PML-N took LA-16 Eastern Bagh, where Sardar Mir Akbar Khan polled 20,796 votes. His PPP rival, Sardar Qamar-uz-Zaman, received 16,963, giving Mir Akbar a 3,833-vote victory.
Completion of the Bagh contests brings to an end the principal voting process of an election conducted in three phases across AJK.
The results put the PML-N in a commanding position to form the next AJK government, having secured the largest number of directly elected seats. The PPP, meanwhile, remains the second-largest parliamentary force.
The PML-N’s representation is expected to increase further through six reserved seats for women and special categories, including Ulema-o-Mashaikh, overseas Kashmiris and technocrats.