Jammu and Kashmir marked the seventh anniversary of the reading down of Article 370 on August 5 with sharply divided reactions across the political spectrum, underlining continuing tensions over the region’s constitutional status despite visibly lower levels of violence.
Anniversary: celebration and protest
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marked the day as the completion of what it called the Union’s constitutional integration of Jammu and Kashmir, while mainstream Kashmiri parties and the Congress treated August 5 as a day of protest. The National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) organised demonstrations to register unresolved political grievances arising from the 2019 action that converted the state into two Union Territories. The Congress described the day as a “Black Day” and renewed calls for restoration of statehood.
Political dynamics since 2019
The decision taken by the Union government on August 5, 2019 remains a major faultline in local politics. The intervening years have not been static. Voters took part in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 and the subsequent UT Assembly polls led to the formation of an elected government now headed by Omar Abdullah. That development has altered the immediate political landscape, but it has not resolved central questions over the territory’s status.
In an interview with Karan Thapar published in The Wire, Omar Abdullah expressed frustration with the pace of change and with efforts to work with the Union government. He said he had endeavoured to cooperate but that the engagement had come at a political cost.
“I had gone out of my way to work with the Union government, which is in effective control of the UT, but all that has happened is that I have lost political capital in the process without commensurate returns.”
Judicial direction and its implementation
The Supreme Court Constitution Bench that upheld the reading down of Article 370 in its 2023 judgment also directed the Election Commission to ensure assembly polls by September 30, 2024. The bench additionally called for the “restoration of complete statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest”. Nearly three years after that ruling, there is no indication in official records that the Union government intends to restore the state’s former status.
Security and public sentiment
Security indicators show a marked decline in violence compared with the period around 2019. The improved security situation is frequently cited by administration officials and by political actors who stress normalcy and economic activity. Yet, as public demonstrations on the anniversary signalled, a section of the populace remains wary of the long-term political consequences of the 2019 action.
Local political leaders and parties say that questions of constitutional rights, electoral representation and control over land and jobs remain unresolved. Those concerns are central to the demands for full statehood voiced by several regional parties and by the Congress.
- 2019 – Reading down of Article 370 and conversion of the state into two Union Territories.
- 2023 – Supreme Court upholds the reading down and orders assembly elections and restoration of statehood “at the earliest”.
- 2024 – Lok Sabha and UT Assembly elections result in an elected government headed by Omar Abdullah.
- 2026 – Seventh anniversary observed amid political demonstrations and official celebrations.
| Event | Year | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reading down of Article 370 | 2019 | State reorganised into two Union Territories |
| Supreme Court judgment | 2023 | Upheld action; called for assembly polls and restoration of statehood |
| Assembly and Lok Sabha polls | 2024 | Elected UT government led by Omar Abdullah |
Implications for governance and normal life
Administratively, the Union government remains the effective authority in many policy areas in the Union Territory structure. Local leaders who seek greater powers say that without restoration of statehood certain policy levers — notably land, recruitment and broader legislative competence — remain constrained. For ordinary citizens, the impact is experienced in political symbolism, party mobilisation and public demonstrations; for the bureaucracy, it affects the locus of decision‑making.
While security has improved, political mistrust persists. The anniversary observances were a reminder that reconciliation of legal, constitutional and political positions remains an unfinished task. The absence of a clear timetable from the Union government on statehood restoration continues to shape expectations, and the demand is likely to remain a central plank of regional politics ahead of any future interactions between Union and local leaderships.
Looking ahead: the competing narratives — one of constitutional consolidation advanced by the BJP and the other of grievance and demand for statehood pressed by regional parties and the Congress — will continue to frame public debates in Jammu and Kashmir. How these positions translate into policy or a negotiated settlement will determine whether the uneasy calm of recent years gives way to durable political normalcy.
