How to survive the election blitzkrieg

Today we seem to be surrounded from all sides by factors that try to influence our decisions Sometimes itrsquos a tweet at other times a post or a picture on Facebook a video on YouTube or a report each of which spreads like a wild fire through the World Wide Web via paid social media avenuesA pedestrian walks past a graffiti in Kolkata featuring Bharatiya Janata Party BJP leader Narendra Modi Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Aam Aadmi Party AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the ongoing general elections PicAFPSo how does a voter sift through this information blitzkrieg and make the right decision It is this idea that seems to have inspired the birth of independent platforms that aim to provide a jargonfree flow of information mdash be it tracking the performance of a sitting MP being aware of a candidatersquos history or simply making the correct facts available to the public Read on about a few such online platforms that have been helping Indians make an informed decision on the WebFlags and election campaign materials on sale at a wholesale shop PicAFPThefivefortyfivecom A simpleyetinformative website thefivefortyfive com tells interesting 300 to 400word stories with charts graphics and visuals Be it major scams that rocked India or a recap of a political candidatersquos career it offers political stories without the biases or alliances marring current Indian media ldquoItrsquos writing for your friends family neighbours and colleagues No highbrow jargonled politicallydriven journalismhellipthe 545 will break through the clutter delivering pieces thatrsquoll interest even the most nonpolitical of readersrdquo the makers write sharing the websitersquos goalLog on to wwwthefivefortyfivecomKnow Your CandidatesA tool created by the Association for Democratic Reforms ADR PRS Legislative Research and Liberty Institute India the Know Your Candidates portal is your exclusive window into the sitting Lok Sabha MPs and and contesting candidates offering information such as disclosed educational background financial details and social media presence wherever available You can also check their attendance in the Lok Sabha the debates they have participated in and their views on the same Just type your pin code and it will direct you to the MP or candidate in your areaLog on to GooglecoinelectionsMumbaivotescom PrajaorgThese are your goto source for any information related to the six constituencies in Mumbai that will go on poll on April 24 Using tools similar to the Know Your Candidates portal Mumbaivotescom and Prajaorg takes things a few notches higher informing people of the responsibilities of MPsMLAs and what one can expect them to do The websites also offer news views and analysis of the performance of the sitting MPsMLAs and their parties in a graphical format akin to a report card Do check both before heading to the polling booth on April 24 Log on to Mumbaivotescom and PrajaorgThe Ungli campaignStarted by social networking site Vebblercom the Ungli campaign has been helping people solve all their election related problems be it locating their poll booth information about the incumbent MP in their constituency or registering for a voter ID card ldquoMany people donrsquot vote because they do not have simple information like polling booth address date of voting etc What we have done is make all this information available to them on their mobile phonesrdquo says Sahil Bhagat founder of Vebbler ldquoWe are also helping Vebbler users submit their forms for voter ID cardsrdquo he addsLog on to unglinetThe ABC of ElectionsSmartur an elearning website for school kids has created a platform to inform current school students of the top three PM candidates and the voting process ldquoA majority of these kids will vote in the next elections hence they need to know whatrsquos happening who are the people contesting the elections and how it will affect themrdquo says Neeraj Jewalkar founder of Smarturcom Some of the key tools include infographics on the three PM candidates mdash Narendra Modi Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi mdash as well as fun election contest questions like minimum age and qualification to contest in elections which are the regional parties a childrenrsquos manifesto where school kids can put up their demand to the various parties and a fun PM test where they judge the three PM candidates on areas like Bhangra skills HipHop skills and so on ldquoWe want these soontobe voters to know the election process and get used to studying the politicians and judging them on a regular basis after they are elected to power We want them to understand that they are not demigods who have fallen from the sky they are like us and that our involvement shouldnrsquot be limited only to the voting dayrdquo he addsLog on to wwwsmarturcomelections12 crore Number of firsttime voters who will exercise their franchise for the first time in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections