The Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday recorded over 52 per cent voter turnout in the sixth phase of polling amid unprecedented security arrangements in the region.

This is the highest voter turnout recorded in the newly carved out Anantnag-Rajouri seat — earlier known as Anantnag — since the 1984 general elections when it recorded 70 per cent polling.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, only a 9 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Anantnag while Rajouri and Poonch polled 72 per cent votes.

Barring one incident of the clash reported between supporters of two candidates outside a polling station in Mendhar sub-division of Poonch, the polling passed off peacefully. An FIR was registered by police and further investigation is on, the officials said. The high-profile seat witnessed a three-way contest in the first election after the abrogation of Article 370 and the redrawing of its political map.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is pitted against Mian Altaf of the National Conference, and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of the Apni Party from this seat.

The BJP has supported the Apni Party candidate and has not fielded any candidate in this constituency.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina on Saturday exercised his franchise in his home constituency in Rajouri district and thanked the voters for turning up in large numbers to strengthen democracy in the Union Territory.

Mehbooba, along with her daughter Iltija Mufti, also exercised her right to franchise in the valley. She also staged a protest demonstration outside a police station demanding the release of polling agents, and workers of the PDP.  Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P K Pole said police picked up some persons with records and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) in Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary Constituency as a preventive measure.

"The Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency is the constituency which witnessed 80 per cent of incidents before and during the elections campaign in the entire Union Territory," Pole told media in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday.

He said to ensure smooth and peaceful polling police took some preventive measures. "Either it is Rajouri, Poonch or Anantnag- Bijbehara side, some terror incident did take place before or during the campaign and keeping in view those, police took some preventive measures," he said.

As many as 19 polling stations were set up along the Line of Control (LoC), where additional security deployment has been made. A large number of border residents participated in the festival of democracy by lining up outside the polling booths since early morning.

Keeping in view the recent terrorist attacks on security forces in the frontier Rajouri and Poonch districts, extensive security arrangements were made to instill confidence among the voters.

All three Assembly segments of the Poonch district recorded over 60 per cent polling. Mendhar recorded 64.69 per cent, Poonch Haveli 64.19 per cent and Surankote recorded 62.95 per cent voter turnout till 5.00 pm.

Four Assembly segments of Rajouri also recorded over 65 per cent voter turnout during the same period. Rajouri recorded 67.09 per cent, Nowshera 65.47 per cent, ThannaMandi 65.34 per cent, and Budhal 64.91  per cent voter turnout.

Three Assembly segments of DH Pora 55.00 per cent, Kokernag 50.00 and Pahalgam 55.63  per cent recorded over 50 per cent voter turnout in the valley.

Zainpora  recorded 39.40 per cent, Anantnag 31.21,Anantnag West 34.65 per cent, Devsar 41.50, Dooru 45.21, Kulgam 31.99  per cent, Shangus Anantnag 41.94 per cent.

Meanwhile, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Jammu Additional Director General of Police Anand Jain also conducted a tour of Rajouri district to personally monitor the conduct of the elections. They visited various polling stations across the poll-bound areas of Rajouri to monitor the polling process,

The Election Commission had set up 2,338 polling stations for 18,36,576 voters, including 9,33,647 male, 9,02,902 female, and 27 third-gender voters. The voter list also includes 17,967 persons with disabilities and 540 individuals over the age of 100.

For more than 25,000 migrant voters in the constituency special polling stations have been set up in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi.