ISLAMABAD (Agencies) – Following a four-month delay caused by harsh winter weather, polling for 24 directly contested seats of the 33-member Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly concluded peacefully. Tight security was maintained across the region, including the deployment of 8,000 additional police officers from Punjab and Islamabad.
The remaining 9 seats of the assembly (6 reserved for women and 3 for technocrats) will be allocated to political parties later via proportional representation.
Unofficial Seat Tally & Constituency Winners Party Standings
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP): 10 seats
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N): 6 seats
Independents (General):5 seats
PTI-Backed Independents: 2 seats
Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM):1 seat
Breakdown by Constituency
| Seat |   District.   | Winner |
| GBA-1 | Gilgit | PPP (Advocate Amjad Hussain) |
| GBA-2 | Gilgit | PML-N (Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman) |
| GBA-3| Gilgit | PTI-backed Ind. |
| GBA-4 | Nagar | PPP |
| GBA-5| Nagar | PPP |
| GBA-6 | Hunza | PTI-backed Ind. |
| GBA-7 | Skardu | PPP |
| GBA-8 | Skardu | MWM |
| GBA-9 | Skardu | PPP |
| GBA-10| Roundu | PPP |
| GBA-11| Kharmang | PPP |
| GBA-12 | Shigar | PPP |
| GBA-13 | Astore | PML-N |
| GBA-14 | Astore | PML-N |
| GBA-15| Diamer | Independent |
| GBA-16 | Diamer | Independent |
| GBA-17| Darel | PPP |
| GBA-18| Tangir | PML-N |
| GBA-19| Ghizer | PPP |
| GBA-20| Ghizer | PML-N |
| GBA-21 | Yasin | Independent |
| GBA-22| Ghanche | PML-N |
| **GBA-23 | Ghanche | Independent |
| GBA-24 | Ghanche | Independent |
Key Takeaways & Electoral Controversies
1. Alliance Strategies
Because the PTI was stripped of its electoral symbol, its candidates ran as independents. In a strategic move mirroring the 2024 national elections, PTI allied with the MWM, fielding a combined group of 22 candidates under the MWM “tent” symbol.
 2. Rigging Allegations by Major Parties
Despite the Chief Election Commissioner characterizing the process as peaceful and organized, both leading opposition sides raised serious flags:
The PPP slammed the election commission over delays in issuing Form-45 (the official station vote count). They also alleged that voter lists were tampered with, and protested the overnight relocation of a pro-PPP polling station in Astore to a hilltop. Furthermore, they accused federal ministers of using state machinery for “electoral engineering.”
The PTI claimed their early leads vanished after 7:00 PM when suspicious polling stations suddenly reported over 80% voter turnout. They also alleged that their agents were denied Form-46, and claimed opposition workers faced systemic harassment before the vote.
3. Voter Turnout and Demographics
Out of 963,034 registered voters, officials noted a highly encouraging turnout of women at the polling stations. However, overall gender representation among candidates remained starkly low: out of 396 total contestants, only 8 were women.
 4. What is at Stake
The two primary contenders—PPP’s GB President Amjad Hussain and PML-N’s former Chief Minister Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman—both secured victories in their respective Gilgit fields. The campaign centered on contrasting visions: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari promised constitutional integration to make GB Pakistan’s fifth province alongside land rights, while PML-N focused its platform on reviving stalled infrastructure, metro buses, and ending local power load-shedding.
