Anantnag-Rajouri LS constituency in J&K records 51.35% voting till 5 pm

Srinagar: More than 51 per cent of the 18.36-lakh electorate in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Saturday, breaking the poll percentage record of more than 28 years, officials said here.

"The voter turnout in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency at 5 pm was 51.35 per cent," an official of the election department said here.

Officials said the Rajouri Assembly segment recorded the highest turnout of 67.09 per cent, while Nowshera recorded a poll percentage of 65.47.

The Anantnag, Anantnag West and Kulgam Assembly segments were the only three areas where the voter turnout has so far been below 35 per cent, they said.

Barring an isolated incident in Bijbehara, smooth polling was reported from across the Lok Sabha constituency that comprises 18 Assembly segments and is spread over the five districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pooch and Rajouri, the officials said.

In a delimitation exercise carried out in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022, Pulwama district and the Shopian Assembly segment were removed from the South Kashmir Lok Sabha seat, while seven Assembly segments from Poonch and Rajouri were added to it.

People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti is contesting the polls from Anantnag-Rajouri and is up against National Conference's (NC) Mian Altaf Ahmad. Apni Party's Zafar Iqbal Manhas is also among the 20 candidates in the fray.

The polling began at 7 am and is scheduled to close at 6 pm.

In the old Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, the turnout in 2019 was around 9 per cent while in 2014, it was close to 29 per cent.

In the 11 Assembly segments falling in the Kashmir valley, the poll percentage till 5 pm was 42.26.

However, in the changing scenario and with the inclusion of the Poonch and Rajouri areas in the constituency, the turnout is expected to be much higher than the previous election.