Election Battle Lines Drawn in Gilgit-Baltistan: 24 Seats, 403 Candidates, Polling Underway

(Digital Itla) The election battle for the 24 seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly has officially begun. Voters have shown immense enthusiasm since morning, with a highly competitive atmosphere between political parties. Strict security measures have been put in place for the polls.

Polling for the general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan started at 8:00 AM and will continue without any break until 5:00 PM, allowing voters across all districts to cast their ballots without fear. A total of 403 candidates are contesting this electoral battle, fielded by various political parties. Reports indicate that Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) has fielded the highest number of candidates at 23, followed by PML-N with 22 candidates, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) with 15. Additionally, Islami Tehreek Pakistan has 10 candidates, Pakistan Nazriyati Party has 10, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) has 9, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) has 7 candidates in the race.

According to the Election Commission, a total of 958,480 registered voters are eligible to exercise their democratic right, including 537,072 male voters and 455,708 female voters. To ensure a peaceful and transparent election, the district administration and law enforcement agencies have taken extraordinary measures, setting up a total of 1,391 polling stations. Among these, 349 have been declared sensitive and 551 highly sensitive, with extra security personnel deployed. A force of 17,500 police personnel is performing security duties to maintain law and order. On the directives of the Chief Election Commissioner, carrying mobile phones, taking photographs, or using any video-recording devices inside the polling stations is strictly prohibited under the Elections Act 2017. Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan expressed satisfaction with the process, noting that polling has been proceeding peacefully and uninterruptedly, with a large turnout of women visible at female polling stations.