Polling in the third and final phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections began at 8am on Monday and will continue until 5pm.

Following changes to the election schedule, polling is being held in three constituencies of Bagh district and one in Haveli.

A total of 72 candidates from different political parties and as independents are competing in the four constituencies.

The candidates include the incumbent prime minister and two former prime ministers, making the final phase a closely watched electoral contest.

According to AJK Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Mustafa Mughal, polling in the remaining seven constituencies has been postponed due to the law and order situation, Radio Pakistan stated.

A new schedule for these constituencies will be announced later.

He said election staff and polling material had been dispatched to the respective polling stations.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure the peaceful conduct of polling.

According to the chief election commissioner, polling in five constituencies of Poonch and two constituencies of Sudhanoti has been postponed.

The Chief Election Commissioner said around 460,000 voters were eligible to cast their ballots in the four constituencies.

Two former prime ministers, Sardar Attique Khan and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, as well as incumbent Prime Minister Faisal Rathore, are among the candidates.

In LA-14 Bagh, 21 candidates, including former AJK prime minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, are contesting the election.

In LA-15 Bagh, former prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas is among 20 candidates vying for the seat, while 22 candidates are contesting LA-16 Bagh.

In LA-17 Haveli, incumbent AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore is among nine candidates seeking election.

The presence of the heads of the Muslim Conference and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) in the four constituencies has further intensified the political atmosphere.

In the first phase of AJK polls, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won nine of the 13 seats in the Mirpur division, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured four.

In the second phase, the PML-N won 15 of 21 seats, with the PPP taking the remaining six.