Experience democracy in action

[Barun Mitra, New Delhi]

www.EmpoweringIndia.org

Hello India,

The assembly elections taking place in five states over the past one
month are coming to an end. The last two phases of the election in
West Bengal will be held on May 7 and 10. These elections are
politically very significant, since there are broadly two sets of
coalitions opposing each other in these states, and the contests are
believed to be quite close. The votes will be counted on May 13.

The voter turn out has been impressive, from a relatively modest 70%
in Assam, to about 75% in Kerala, to over 80% in Tamil Nadu. In the
first four of the six phase election in West Bengal, the turn out has
been around 85%. No one is sure whether the high level of
participation in the election, indicates the voters desire for change,
or continuity. Will the ruling alliances get re-elected, or will the
voters elect new political formations to political power.

The high level of participation, once again reaffirms the trust
millions of people across India have in the democratic process , and
their commitment to the constitutional institutions.

Empowering India welcomes you to follow these elections, to know more
about the contesting candidates, to learn about different
constituencies and the political parties, on www.EmpoweringIndia.org.
This innovative e-governance initiative was recognised with the 2009
Manthan Award for South Asia.

Since then, there have been continuous efforts to increase the scope
of the information, and enhance the functions. There are summary
comparison of candidates in easy to view format, including brief bios
of major candidates from Kerala and West Bengal.

A new feature this time, is a Constituency Profile page. Citizens in
every constituency are most welcome to share their thoughts, and help
build an active network of citizens.
http://www.empoweringindia.org/new/Blogs.aspx

Another new feature this time, is the "Locate your Constituency".
Following delimitation, many constituency boundaries have been
redrawn, and new constituencies created. Now, it is possible to search
by names of localities, villages and towns, and find the assembly
constituency where it falls. In addition, the polling station in the
area are also available.
http://www.empoweringindia.org/new/searcharea.aspx

We hope you will find these features useful, and information relevant.
We welcome your comments and suggestions, and we hope you will join
hands with us for an active citizen's network.
http://www.empoweringindia.org/new/comments1.aspx

Thanks and regards,

Empowering India team

Empowering India: Making democracy meaningful
www.EmpoweringIndia.org

Recipient of the 2009 Manthan Award in E-governance category.

Tel: +91-11-28031309
Email: in...@empoweringindia.org,
in...@libertyinstitute.org.in

Liberty Institute, New Delhi
www.InDefenceofLiberty.org
www.LibertyInstitute.org.in