AFP - Tens of thousands of soldiers were on patrol in Indian Kashmir Wednesday to prevent separatist unrest as polls opened for the final phase of state elections.
  
Voters headed to nearly 2,000 polling booths in Srinagar, the hub of the anti-Indian insurgency, and in the town of Jammu and neighbouring Samba district.
  
About 30,000 soldiers were on patrol in Srinagar and more than 20,000 in Jammu and Samba to prevent militant attacks and anti-election protests by Muslim separatists opposed to Indian rule in Kashmir.
  
Separatist groups and armed rebels have called for a boycott of the polls, arguing that they strengthen New Delhi's hold over the disputed region.
  
However, the first six rounds of voting saw a turnout of more than 50 percent in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley.
  
The Himalayan region is in the grip of a nearly two-decade old insurgency against Indian rule that has left more than 47,000 people dead, according to official Indian figures.
  
Kashmir is divided into Indian and Pakistani-controlled zones and has been the trigger for two wars between the South Asian rivals since independence from Britain in 1947.