Polling hours in all 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division have been extended by one hour during the first phase of the 2026 Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly general elections.
The Chief Election Commissioner, Mirpur, announced the extension due to the extraordinary voter turnout across the division. According to the announcement, voters at all polling stations in Mirpur Division will now be able to cast their votes until 6:00 PM.
Originally, polling for the first phase of the Legislative Assembly general elections was scheduled from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. However, the polling time has now been extended by one hour. Voters who are inside the polling station or standing in the queue by 6:00 PM will be allowed to cast their votes.
To ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral process, thousands of police personnel, members of other law enforcement agencies, and Pakistan Army troops have been deployed. Special security arrangements have also been made at sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations.
Mirpur Division has a total of 1,400,437 registered voters, including 724,811 male voters and 675,626 female voters.
A total of 2,316 polling stations have been established across the division for the elections. Of these, 1,241 have been declared highly sensitive, 724 sensitive, and 351 normal polling stations, where special security arrangements have been put in place.
A total of 288 candidates are contesting the elections in the 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division. The highest number of candidates is in Constituency LA-3 Mirpur City, where 34 candidates are in the race.
Chief Election Commissioner of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Justice (Retd.) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, said that polling in Mirpur Division began at the scheduled time of 8:00 AM and that the voting process has so far continued peacefully.
Speaking to the media, the Chief Election Commissioner appealed to the people of Mirpur Division to come out of their homes and exercise their right to vote, emphasizing that by casting their valuable votes they can play an important role in the formation of the government.
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