There was a time when elections meant only sloganeering and long speeches. It is all that now, but just add that dash of technology, and it can be much more. Turning on your phone or computer will give you access to a world of information on what your candidate is all about.
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Netapedia are your allies in your search. Set up in 1999 by professors of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, http://www.adrindia.org/ provides information about all candidates.
It began with a public interest litigation petition they filed in the Delhi High Court, seeking that candidates declare their educational qualification, criminal history and financial assets. “A movement to create an informed voter,” says ADR national coordinator Anil Bairwal. The site gets its information from the Election Commission, scans and uploads of all affidavits filed by candidates.
Mr. Bairwal says their first election watch was for the 2002 Gujarat elections. Now, in conjunction with the National Election Watch, ADR has multiple projects. “We know the reach of our site is small. How many people can access the Internet in the country? But voter literacy is important. That's why we have a toll-free helpline and an SMS system.” An offshoot of the main site, http://www.myneta.info/, provides information in Hindi.
Literally translated, ‘Praja' means ‘people.' Praja.Org (http://praja.org/), set up in 1998, seeks change by creating a more aware, and thus empowered, citizenry. In a bid to increase “the waning spirit of Mumbai city and increase the interaction between the citizens and the government,” the site not just facilitates discussion but also enables the users to get in touch with their elected representatives.
It has information about candidates and goes a step further, addressing the issues in the area and putting up on a discussion board the interactions between the elected representatives and the people of the ward. It works to emphasise the “need for a continuous dialogue and appraisal of the working of the elected representatives” through their many detailed White Papers and newsletters. Information is available in Hindi and English.
Netapedia (http://www.netapedia.in/) is among the newer portals around. Started in November 2010 by a group of IITians — Ashish Rathi, Siddharth Bidwan, Rituraj Shukla, Rahul Shrivastava, Premjeet Kumar, Hitesh Lalwani and Sidharth Mishra — it is meant to be an interactive online platform on Indian politicians. It also provides information on political events of note.
“We wanted to set up a portal that would provide information in an easy-to-access style. Our emphasis is on the info as well as the user experience,” Mr. Mishra says. Social media is used to encourage visitors to the site to interact.
Newer features are being planned. “Comparative features that will help voters compare, at a glance, the virtues of their candidate of choice as well as a timeline to show which candidate was in the news will soon be available,” says Mr. Mishra. Users are encouraged to send in suggestions. The site needs volunteers to help in translations of affidavits that are filed.
