Returning Officers of all 41 electoral constituencies of the 49-seat AJK Legislative Assembly on Saturday made public the lists of the eligible candidates after exercising scrutiny of the nomination papers by the deadline, for jumping into scheduled July 21 elections fight to the State Legislature.
In Mirpur district of AJK, a total of 71 candidates belonging to various political parties and independents in all four electoral constituencies of the district filed their nomination papers with the concerned Returning Officers by the stipulated last date June 16 to jump into the scheduled July 21 elections to Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative.
All 18 candidates who had filed their nomination papers in constituency LA-1 (Dadayal-Mirpur) with the RO Additional Session Judge Raja Shamraiz Akher were declared eligible to contest the election. The nomination papers of all them were found correct. Similarly in electoral constituency LA-2 (Chaksawari- Mirpur) a total of 18 out of 25 candidates were declared eligible by the concerned RO Civil Judge Mirpur Malik Muhammad Ikraam.
Likewise, from LA-3 Mirpur city constituency, a total of 11 out of 13 candidates were declared eligible by the concerned RO Additional District & Session Judge Mirpur) Chaudhry Muhammad Sajaad to jump in to the polls arena. Among those 13 candidates who filed their nomination papers from electoral constituency LA-3 Mirpur city the nomination papers of two candidates identified as Aftab Ahmed and Khalid Farooq were rejected on different grounds. Similarly all 15 candidates from LA-4 (Khari sharif Mirpur) who had filed their nomination papers with the concerned RO Senior Civil Judge Mirpur Sardar Shah Zaman were declared eligible to contest the election after the nomination papers of all of them were found correct.
Appeals against acceptance or rejection of papers would be lodged on June 22 and their hearing will be held on June 23 and 24. Decisions on these appeals would be announced on June 25 and 26. The candidates can withdraw their nomination papers on June 27 and final list of candidates would be displayed on June 28 and election symbols would be allotted on June 29, according to the elections schedule announced by the AJK Chief Election Commissioner Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal.
There are 2,237,058 voters including 1,211,842 men and 1,025,216 women in AJK's ten districts. For Refugees 12 constituencies, a total of 444,634 voters will be eligible to exercise their right to franchise. The 49 seat AJK Legislative Assembly, lower house of the AJK parliament, comprises 29 constituencies of all 10 districts of AJK, 12 constituencies meant for Pakistan-based Jammu Kashmir refugees (to be filled in on direct adult-franchise basis) and 8 reserved seats including five meant for women folk and one each for technocrats, Ulema Mashaikh and Overseas Kashmiris to be filled in by the electoral college comprising the legislators to be elected on direct adult franchise basis.