A transparent poll process can heal J&K

The preparation for the first assembly election in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir began this week after the Election Commission initiated the process of revision of rolls and asked officials to complete the process by August 31. This comes after the delimitation process, which added six extra seats in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region and one in the Muslim-majority Kashmir, narrowing the gap between the two divisions and stoking the ire of Kashmir-based political parties and citizens. The revision of electoral rolls is a welcome step. The restive region, which lost its special constitutional status three years ago, has seen a spike in violence in recent months, underlining the importance of political, social and humanitarian outreach to go hand-in-hand with security and administrative responses. It is clear that repairing the fraying social fabric and reversing the panic felt by Hindu minorities in the Valley will need not only a muscular security posture, but also a soft touch and political engagement with the mainstream parties. A free and fair election can not only give voice to the aspirations of people, it can also provide a vent for bottled resentment and temper the alienation felt by sections of the population. For this, mainstream parties will need to be seen as stakeholders in administrative and political processes and the poll process will not only need to be legitimate and just, but also seen to be so. An open process of preparing the electoral rolls, along with taking mainstream leaders into confidence and constituting a robust mechanism for grievance redressal, can go a long way in improving the health of democracy in the Valley and, in turn, forge a durable social compact.