Rana Sanaullah says LA-14 winner has joined PML-N, raising party's AJK election tally to 25

ISLAMABAD: PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah announced on Monday that Sajid Iqbal Abbasi — who won the LA-14 seat on Jammu Kashmir Awami Dast-o-Bazu Party’s ticket in recent elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) — had joined his party.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the PM’s adviser on political affairs reiterated that the PML-N was set to form the administration in AJK as it had secured 25 seats in the elections.

He expected the party’s total strength to reach around 33 after the allocation of reserved seats, close to a two-thirds majority in the 53-member legislative assembly.

The elections in AJK were held in phases, with the Election Commission citing security worries. The PML-N bagged 24 seats in the elections, and its tally rose to 25 with Abbasi joining the party. The party’s main contender, the PPP, won only 10 constituencies and has alleged rigging and electoral malpractices.

Meanwhile, the AJK Election Commission has confirmed the schedule for elections to eight reserved seats in the Legislative Assembly, with polling set to take place on Aug 24.

Under Article 22(1) of the AJK Constitution, the Legislative Assembly consists of 53 members, including 45 members elected directly through adult franchise and eight members chosen by directly elected representatives.

Sanaullah said in his press briefing that the residents had given the PML-N the mandate in AJK. He expressed confidence that the upcoming elections for the remaining seats could help the party achieve the two-thirds majority target.

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