The Best Online Sources for News and Analysis on the 2009 Indian Lok Sabha Elections
This post is part of the Global Voices special coverage on Indian Elections 2009
As the campaigns for the 2009 Indian Lok Sabha elections heat up, several new websites are aiming to become the default source of news and analysis related the 2009 general elections.
These websites, however, are directly competing with election microsites from mainstream media — Hindustan Times/ Google, TOI, Mint, DNA, The Hindu, Yahoo!, MSN, Rediff, NDTV, IBN Live, India Today, The Week, Economic Times, India TV, Aaj Tak, Business Standard, BBC and Al Jajeera– and need to offer something different to be useful.
All the mainstream media election microsites have similar features: details about parties, constituencies, candidates and manifestos, statistics about previous elections, and an overload of news and opinion related to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. However, some microsites have unique features which stand out, so let me start by pointing to my favorite, often interactive, features on the mainstream media websites.
DNA, India Today, Business Standard and IBN Politics have user friendly pages for columns by some very well-known writers.
The Hindustan Times/ Google election microsite is based on Google gadgets which allows you to add individual features to your iGoogle page.
The WordPress-based Hindu Election Blog allows you to subscribe to specific tags and categories.
MSN has a useful news aggregator which allows to you find news by candidate, party, or state.
The Outlook India Election Blog is doing a great curation role by linking to important stories from elsewhere.
Of the new players, IndiPepal is perhaps the most ambitious, with blogs from several well-known analysts.
India Voting and Engage Voter also have content rich websites with some interesting features.
BlogAdda has a very well designed social media aggregator for the elections, which collates photos, videos, and posts from election-focused blogs.
OneVote also has a well designed social media aggregator that collates photos, videos, tweets, blog posts and news reports related to the India elections.
Vote Report India, a collaborative citizen-driven election monitoring platform for the 2009 elections, aims to aggregate direct reports about irregularities in the election process with news reports, blog posts, photos, videos and tweets related to the elections from all relevant sources, in one place, on an interactive map (see our earlier post for details).
With a wide variety of sources vying with each other, election-watchers in India and elsewhere are sure to find a source that fits their specific news and opinion needs.
Which are some of your favorite online sources for news and analysis on the 2009 Indian Lok Sabha Elections?
Cross-posted on Gauravonomics, my blog on social media and social change.
10 comments
Respected all,
Why can’t you read and consider ‘Sikh Vichar Manch’ website’ contents for opinion regarding Lok Sabha Elections 2009?”
Truth of the Era and the Politics in India
http://www.sikhvicharmanch.com/Content%20Page.htm
General Lok Sabha Elections-2009
http://www.sikhvicharmanch.com/General-General%20Lok%20Sabha%20Elections-2008-09.htm
And more similar to it…..
With regards
Balbir Singh Sooch, Advocate, Ludhiana
To my mind, Dr Manmohan Singh is a modern philosopher King of Plato and one of the rare of the rarest Sikhs and considered as the most decorated among the Prime Ministers of the world.
It is my above any party line view and should not be taken as a support for congress or otherwise. In fact, the Bharatiya Janata Party of today is the Indian National Congress of yesterday. Or both are one and the same thing for the minorities especially Sikhs in India.
This one is only for Bangalore at the moment but I think it’s a model that should be replicated across the country: http://smartvote.in/ People should also have access to an online database that lists candidates’ public records, assets etc.
Sajjan and Tytler and others are just small actors and this saffron “Tilak” on their forehead is protecting them. Do you know what I mean?
“Hundreds of people saw them (Tytler, Sajjan) in action during the riots even if their versions differ now. The Nanavati Commission makes it clear that a riot accused cannot contest an election unless proved innocent and should not be given tickets,” Khushwant Singh said.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/books/tytler-sajjan-should-have-themselves-quit-khushwant-singh-with-image_100179722.html
To further justify Khushwant Singh ji, I quote an email received on December 19, 2007 9:57 PM as under:
“There is tons of evidence out there. If the govt can really provide immunity to their own forces, this can be wrapped up real quick.
What I mean is, if Govt can come with a plan to forgive all those who come forward with the evidence or as evidence, may it be murderers or witnesses, we can get to the bottom of it real quick. Although insiders have confirmed that Govt exactly knows how it happened, but is afraid to pin point the charge.
Sajjan and Tytler and others are just small actors and this saffron “Tilak” on their forehead is protecting them. Do you know what I mean?
We are interested in letting people know the truth, and prevention of this nonsense behavior, again if that can be stooped. Chances are less, because this animal instinct is getting more and more powerful in “Kalyuga”
The other alternative is to “stay the course” and do your home work: never get deviated from path of kindness and compassion. And Let them go to hell. Sincerely, Amar Duggal”
http://www.sikhvicharmanch.com/Punjabi/Dharam%20ate%20rajniti-Sikh%20Katleam%20Chaurasi%20de%20doshian.htm
http://www.sikhvicharmanch.com/Content%20Page.htm
The NGO Ludhiana Welfare Organization (Regd.) motto is welfare of all community in the world. It is necessary that one should know his right & duties toward nation and what are the duties of govt. to public? We have started a NGO LWO the website http://www.rtiludhiana.com to create awareness among the citizens to use Right to Information Act to get their work done in the government departments. This Act RTI will bring transperancy and accountability in the bureaucracy.