I have always been a strong advocate of the fact that IT is just not about Facebook or Twitter, it is about how we can change things around us in a better way. I had previously written about How to battle Corruption online with CVC and now in the similar league I am going to discuss about Myneta.info, a website-based concept by Association for Democratic Reforms which is all about publicly displaying data related to candidates who are contesting both State & National-level elections in India.
The data is sufficient enough to initially judge the kind of candidate you are going to vote for during the election process. The website displays information in tabular form about all candidates of Rajya Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) and Lok Sabha (upper house). It even displays a separate list for the elected Members of Parliament (MP) for the recent elections. What is more interesting is that it even covers all the candidate data for the various State Assemblies alongwith a separate list of Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA). It even displays a comparison chart of different candidates of various parties. The only thing I did not like about this website is the Layout design which could have been much better.
The website even runs a National helpline number (1-800-110-440) and a SMS facility (Send Myneta [PINCODE] to 56070) which categorizes this website as a serious effort to improve our political system. We must join them in this effort and must exercise our Voting rights sincerely. Do post your comments on how do you find this website, is it useful or just another waste of time? It is time to share your views folks with everyone!
LINK: Myneta.info
2 Comments
Let me be the first one to comment. I am the IT coordinator of ADR and we created this site in 2009 just before Lok Sabha Elections. Regarding the layout we have deliberately kept plain because the focus is primarily on communicating this vital information and not on presentation. Simple layout may not be that much of an eye candy but it looks ok on all sorts of browsers/operating systems/devices ie is much more cross platform.
Jaskirat
IT Coordinator ADR
Thanks for the detailed comment. I completely understand your view w.r.t making it easy to access anywhere. However still there can be few minor improvements to just give a nice touch to the website.