MUZAFFARABAD: The third and final phase of the local government (LG) elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will be held today (Thursday)  in three districts of Mirpur division — Kotli, Mirpur and Bhimber — during which more than 1.2 million voters will use their right to franchise to elect their representatives on 1,084 seats.

Polling in the first phase was conducted on November 27 in Muzaffarabad division while the second phase of the LG polls held on December 03 in Poonch division, while the final phase is going to be conducted on Thursday, December 8.

According to the AJK-Election Commission, the polling will begin at 8am and continue until 5pm for which all arrangements had been finalized. Besides the AJK police officials, some 4,200 additional security personnel from Punjab Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) have been deployed on the most-sensitive and sensitive declared polling stations to maintain law and order, it said.

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In Kotli district, a total of 569,051 voters, including 263,754 women will cast their vote to elect 58 district council members, and 455 union and urban council members, while in Mirpur district, a total of 365978 voters, including 176,801 women will cast their vote to elect 27 district council and 279 union and urban councils’ members.

In district Bhimber, a total of 303,020 voters, including 141,944 women will use their right to franchise to elect 31 district council’s and 233 union and urban council’s members.

Besides three major political parties — the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — Muslim Conference (MC), Jammu Kashmir Peoples’ Party (JKPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiyat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and a number of independent candidates are in the run for LG elections.