Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times) : Scores of candidates belonging to various political parties and independents have started girding lions to contest scheduled October 10 bye-elections to Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly seats of Mirpur-III, LA-3 and Charhoi LA-12 Kotli- 5.
The seat of LA-III Mirpur 3 has fallen vacant due to Barrister Sultan Mehamood Choudhry’s election as President of Azad Jammu Kashmir. While LA 12 Kotli 5 fallen vacant due to the resignation of Ch.Muhammad Yasin from one out of two seats he had won in July 25, 2021 AJK general election.
Though various impending contestant parties most particularly the AJK’s sitting ruling Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf [ PTI ] , PML [N}, Tehreek e Labaik Pakistan AJK Chapter, PPP [AJK Unit] and Jamaat e Islami AJK have yet to announce their respective candidates to jump in to the bye- elections arena, yet some self-assumed candidates, by now, have launched their respective election campaign for the scheduled bye polls.
AJK Election Commission has sofar announced the schedule of the bye-elections to both of the constituencies.
Yasir Sultan, the son of the newly-elected President of AJK Barrister Sultan Mahmud Chaudhry, is considered to be the much-expected nominee of the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf to contest the polls from LA-3, Mirpur –III constituency against his closest rival candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed, former minister of AJK and the much expected candidate of the PML [N
Former AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, who also heads AJK branch of the PML [ N ], has, by now, has started consultation with his party’s parliamentary board of his party to nominate the party’s candidate to participate in the much-impending keenly-contested election – especially between the candidates to the close rivals – the PML [N] and the ruling PTI, AJK Chapters.
Several of independent candidates are also expected to move to contest the polls.
According to the schedule the nomination papers will be filed before the returning officer on 13th September 2021 up to 4 pm while scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on 14th September2021 from 8 am to 2.00 pm and the list of the valid candidates will be published the same day.
Appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers can be filed before the election commission on 18th September 2021 before 2 pm.
The Election Commission will hear the appeals on 20th September from 9 am to 4 pm while the decisions will be announced on 22nd September. The candidates can withdraw their nomination papers on 23rd September before 2 pm .
Symbol will be allotted to the candidates on 24th September 2021 and final lists of the candidates will be published the same day.
The Elections to these seats will be held on 10th October 2021 from 8 am to 5 pm without any break.