An upmarket carpet shop at Srinagar’s Polo View has hanged a placard: ‘I protest any attack on Article 35A (related to J&K state subject rights)”. Such protest banners are more common than any party banner or flag in Srinagar.
The shop owner Nazeer Ahmad, 61, who always boycotted elections in the Valley since the 1990s, says he’s closely watching the developments taking place ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “I may not vote again but I am keen to see which way the voting population tilts this time,” he says.