Polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I has been rescheduled for August 4 after heavy rainfall and landslides forced the postponement of voting, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chief Election Commissioner Justice (Retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal said on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, the chief election commissioner said polling in the constituency could not be held as overnight heavy rain triggered landslides and felled trees, blocking roads and preventing election staff and polling materials from reaching polling stations.

Ghulam Mustafa said the Election Commission decided to postpone polling in accordance with the law to ensure a smooth and transparent electoral process.

He urged citizens to cast their ballots, saying democratic change can only come through the power of the vote.

“Voting is both a democratic and Islamic responsibility, and people should fulfil this duty,” he said, adding that violence or any other means could never serve as a path to democratic change.

He said polling in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I would now take place on August 4, while voting in all other constituencies was continuing according to schedule. Constituencies LA-28, LA-29 and LA-31 in Muzaffarabad have been designated highly sensitive. More than 4,000 security personnel will be deployed for polling, with a Quick Response Force from the armed forces also on standby to ensure voter safety.

The commissioner also said election authorities were responding promptly to every complaint received and would perform their duties strictly in accordance with the law, without yielding to any pressure.

He added that stringent security arrangements had been put in place at sensitive polling stations across Azad Kashmir and expressed confidence that the second phase of the AJK elections would record a strong voter turnout.

Meanwhile, polling will continue without interruption until 5 pm in all constituencies except LA-27, where elections will take place now on August 4. The phase-II elections include a total of 208 candidates vying for nine Muzaffarabad seats and 12 seats for refugees settled in different regions.

The Jhelum Valley district, a part of the division, has a total of 177,500 registered voters who are expected to be voting through the day across its two constituencies. LA-32 (Jhelum Valley-I) has 90,710 registered voters, including 48,200 men and 42,510 women, with 162 polling stations set up in the constituency, 51 sensitive, 32 highly sensitive and 79 normal. LA-33 (Jhelum Valley-II) has 86,790 registered voters, comprising 45,553 men and 41,237 women, with 155 polling stations established, including 52 sensitive, 57 highly sensitive and 46 normal.

For the 12 refugee seats, 143 candidates are in the running, with 438,777 registered voters eligible to cast ballots. A total of 1,057 polling stations have been established across all four provinces for this purpose.

Kashmiri refugees residing in Pakistan will vote for six seats each from Jammu and Valley constituencies. The Jammu seats span LA-34 (Jammu-1) to LA-39 (Jammu-6), while the Valley seats span LA-40 (Valley-1) to LA-45 (Valley-6).

A close contest is expected among the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, Jamaat-e-Islami and independent candidates.