Patriot provides a guide to the different apps that offer assistance to voters. Three are from the election commission itself
Delhi will go to vote in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 12. As PM Modi put it, the election is the biggest festival that happens once in five years in our country.
And this time around, elections have also reached our smartphones with different apps released by both the Election Commission and private startups. From getting information on your nearest polling booth to seeing opinion polls, everything is just one click away.
Here, we give a guide to the different apps that have come up during the election season and what facilities they provide.
Voter Helpline
The Election Commission of India launched this app as the go-to for all voters. This app is a one-stop shop for all you need to know about the elections.
Through this app, you can search your name on the electoral roll, and in case you find it missing, apply for a fresh registration through a form to which a link is provided. You can also apply for a fresh voter id card if you have misplace your previous one
You can also enter your EPIC number and it will tell you which constituency you are voting from, and which is your nearest booth.
On top of that, if you want to know who your candidates are, simply click on the candidate section of the app, put in your constituency and you will get the full details of the candidates, along with their affidavits and nomination papers.
Through the app, the Election Commission is also organising a Poll Day selfie campaign wherein the voters can take their selfie with inked fingers, post it on the app, thus encouraging voters to come out and vote.
cVigil
Whenever our esteemed politcians say something that incites communal tension or distributes cash among the common people urging them to vote for them, we all want to do something to teach them a lesson. Well, through ECI’s cVigil app, you can do exactly that.
Whenever a candidate violates the Election Commission’s model code of conduct or the code of expenditure as prescribed by the ECI, and it comes into your notice, just go to the app, and click a photo or video of the evidence you have. Then you have to select the type of incident – which ranges from money, gift and liquor distribution to communal speeches and usage of speakers beyond permitted time.
Not only does the app capture the image , but also sends the live location from where you are sending the media file, and according to the ECI, a flying squad will reach the location as quickly as possible and nab the candidate.
According to reports, in the 4th phase of the elections, over 1,100 complaints were registered through the cVigil app in Pune, of which 93% were disposed of.
PwD App
The Election Commission of India especially started the PwD app, to make life easier for specially abled persons during the election season. If a person is diagnosed with any one of the 21 disabilities as mentioned by the Indian Medical Council, then he/she can register via this as a PwD category voter.
One has to enter his/her EPIC number, mention which disability he has, and according to the app, the information will be sent to the nearest polling station, where the election officers will be ready to receive him/her “with appropriate disability support infrastructure”, as mentioned in the app.
The app also has a category called “Request for transfer” wherein, the voter, after entering his mobile number and EPIC number, can request for assistance to be taken to the polling station. An election officer, will transport the voter from his/her doorstep to the nearest polling station, and will also make the return journey after the vote is cast.
Vote Chandni Chowk
Developed by students of Delhi Technological University, Vote Chandni Chowk app, as the name suggests is solely dedicated to the people of Chandni Chowk, and tries to be a primary election guide for the 9.8 lakh registered voters of the Chandni Chowk constituency.
The app opens with a countdown of the number of days remaining for May 12 — the day the constituency goes in to vote. It provides voters with information about the different assembly segments within the parliamentary constituency. They can also search for their nearest polling station, and also get information about how many people are standing in queue at a particular polling station.
The app also provides detailed information about the candidates, and also pick up and drop off facilities for the physically disabled and people of the third gender.
Neta
Do you find it difficult to choose the right candidate to vote for? The Neta app has come up with a unique solution.
Like the rating system of the US presidential elections, the app allows you to rate different candidates across all Lok Sabha seats from a scale of one to five. The main screen shows a cumulative average rating of the leader. So a voter can judge the cumulative mood of the people and go on to vote.
People can also comment on why they have given a particular rating to the leader in question, based on different issues like education, law and order and development. The app also shows a graph of how a leader has fared in these different issues.
