Source: 
The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mobile-power-Poll-info-a-touch-away/articleshow/33579481.cms
Date: 
11.04.2014
City: 
New Delhi

NEW DELHI: What do you want to know about the polls? Name it and chances are there's an app for it. Election action in full throttle, the Android app store has seen a surfeit of related apps. Most offer the poll schedule and candidate information; some feature live updates while others are extensions of the Election Commission website. An app from nonprofit ADR allows users to report code of conduct violations with a picture. 

These easy-to-use apps designed more for a voter's information and knowledge, are a new addition to the existing party and poll-themed gaming ones. ADR's tracking app Election Watch Reporter (EWR) lets a user route a picture taken to be forwarded to the EC after a verification process. Live election results will be a click away with a number of apps launched designed for counting day. One such called Results 2014 promises also has links to Twitter and Facebook and party feeds. The app iCitizen also provides MPs' past performance and parties' fi nancial data. 

Tech entrepreneur Vishal Gondal says this election is marked by a deluge of information online and via apps and is expected in the cycle of digital trends. "Such apps simplify access to information. The most basic Android phone can help access a candidate's information. I too have checked up on candidates in my area on Facebook and Twitter," he says. EWR's developer Jaskirat Singh says response is growing. "We tried this app during some assembly polls, and would get two complaints a day. For the general election, that number is up to 15-20 daily," he says. 

Not all apps are complete. "India Elections" has limited information on contesting candidates: the information screen's blank for several, including a high-profile one like Kapil Sibal. This app offers an in-built opinion poll, a feature also in "Lok Sabha Elections 2014". As for business done, many of these apps are yet to cross the three-digit mark when it comes to downloads. 

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