Muzaffarbad: More than two million voters are expected to cast their ballots in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative assembly polls on Thursday.
Details gathered from the election commission and the local administration show 1,190,839 women and 1,483,747 men are eligible to vote in the poll.
As many as 423 candidates are contesting elections in 41 constituencies across the AJK.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Muslim Conference, the Jamaat-e-Islami and other political parties have fielded their candidates for elections, which will start 8am and close at 5pm.
Around 8,046 polling booths and 5,427 polling stations have been set up in all constituencies while 862 polling stations and 1,215 booths have been established in district Muzaffarabad.
Polling staff and ballot boxes were dispatched to the polling stations located in far-flung areas on Wednesday.
As many as 37,000 security personnel including 22,000 army personnel will be deployed at polling stations for ensuring security. Around 23,000 government employees will also perform duty at polling stations.
The elections have been declared sensitive due to killing of one person during the election campaign.
Two people were killed in Docharat constituency during polls-2011 therefore, it has also been declared sensitive.
Around 35 polling stations — including Constituency 2 and Constituency 4 Khawra in Muzaffarabad — have been declared highly sensitive, while 32 polling stations sensitive and additional strength of army and police will be deployed at these stations.
On CNIC card holders and voters will be allowed to enter polling booths and violators will be booked against under section 144, said officials in the election commission.
A control room has been set up in Muzaffarabad to monitor the polling process.
