Identified as the epicentre of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the reshaped Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday recorded 51.88 per cent peaceful polling till 5 pm. The final polling percentage till 6 pm was awaited.

The newly included areas of Rajouri and Poonch districts, which were earlier in the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency, witnessed brisk polling.

The two districts of Jammu division were included in the Anantnag constituency during the recent delimitation of constituencies.

In the last parliamentary election in 2019 when the Anantnag constituency that consisted of areas of south Kashmir witnessed just 8.96 per cent polling.

Enthusiasm among the electorate was witnessed right from the morning when long queues of voters were seen at the polling booths across the constituency.

Polling booths recorded 8.98 per cent voting in the first two hours till 9 am. The voting percentage increased to 23.34 per cent at 11 am, 35.61 per cent at 1 pm and 44.88 per cent till 3 pm.

Early reports indicated a substantial presence of voters thronging and queuing in the polling stations in all the assembly segments of the Lok Sabha constituency.

The Rajouri segment, which recently witnessed terrorist strikes at Army personnel and civilians, recorded the highest turnout of 61.14 pc voters till 3 pm.

This was followed by 58.22% in the border segment of Nowshera. South Kashmir’s Anantnag and Kulgam were at the bottom with 30.11% and 26.27% polling till 3 pm.

With completion of the sixth phase of the election, polling has taken place in all the five constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.

Alleging that the ongoing polling for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency was being rigged, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who is also a candidate for the seat, sat on dharna outside the police station at Bijbehara in Anantnag.

She said that her polling agents have been detained by the police and the outgoing call service on her mobile number has been suspended without any explanation.

Tight security arrangements have been made with the deployment of Army, security forces and police for conduct of a peaceful polling.

Mehbooba told media persons that she was not able to make any calls from her mobile phone since morning. All this was being done on the orders of the top functionaries in J&K, she alleged.

Mehbooba is contesting the election against the National Conference candidate Mian Altaf and BJP backed Apni Party’s Zafar Iqbal Manhas although there are a total number of 20 candidates in the fray. Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DPAP has fielded Mohammad Saleem Parray.

The PDP chief on Friday wrote to the election commission that the party’s polling agents and workers have been detained by the police ahead of the polling for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

The Anantnag Police, however, claimed that detentions are very few and restricted only to those with a tainted past, based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order and security on polling day.

“Claims were made by a political party that their workers have been detained. Firstly, detentions are very few & restricted only to those who have a tainted past and based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order & security on polling day. Mostly they are OGWS & are taken into preventive custody for ensuring a safe & peaceful election,” the Anantnag Police wrote on X.

A senior PDP leader and former minister, Naeem Akhtar said that voting has deliberately been slowed down to keep Mehbooba Mufti away from the Parliament.