CVoter Survey: Kashmir Valley Expresses Dissatisfaction with Supreme Court Verdict on Article 370

New Delhi: The results of an exclusive survey conducted by CVoter in Jammu & Kashmir reveal that a majority of the respondents in the Kashmir Valley do not agree with the Supreme Court verdict to uphold the abrogation of Article 370 that gave some special powers and privileges to the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir.

The response of the respondents in the Jammu region, however, is exactly the opposite.

In the Valley, 51 per cent of the respondents stated that they do not agree with the Supreme Court verdict. The survey had a sample size of 4,056.

In Jammu region, close to 56 per cent of the respondents stated that they agree with the top court’s decision.

Differences could also be seen in responses to other questions in the survey.

While about 52 per cent respondents in the Valley feel that the current regime is not treating them well, three out of every five respondents in Jammu region feel the other way.

Similarly, while almost two-third of the respondents in the Valley say people from other states should not be allowed to buy property and settle down in J&K, close to 50 per cent feel the same in the Jammu region.

The results of the CVoter survey clearly indicate that winning the heart and mind of people living in the Valley is still a work in progress.

Since 1952, Article 370 and Article 35 were operational in Jammu & Kashmir, giving the state a unique and special identity along with substantive powers to choose which laws passed by the Indian Parliament would be implemented in the state.

On August 5, 2019, soon after winning a massive mandate in the Lok Sabha elections, the current regime passed a Bill in both the Houses of the Parliament abrogating Article 370.

More than 20 petitions challenging the decision were filed in the Supreme Court, which clubbed them together.

On Monday, a five-judge bench passed a unanimous verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370.