Series: LS Elections 2019

This election season, Factly.in has put together a series of videos that seeks to deconstruct various aspects of the massive democratic exercise to make every citizen aware of its history, processes, rules and other relevant information. The second episode breaks down the most important election procedures of voter registration and voting. This is no rocket science and yet it may seem confusing. https://youtu.be/ZPAJfABAksI [This video series is produced by Factly as a part of the YouTube GNI Innovation Funding and has been republished here with permission.]

Guwahati, the gateway to the entire Northeast, is not just the most prestigious of Assam’s 14 Lok Sabha seats, but is also seen as an indicator of which way the rest of the North east’s 11 Lok Sabha seats go.  With the state ruled by the BJP, the 2019 Gauhati (as the parliamentary constituency is named) contest, where voting takes place on April 23, is likely to be a closely fought one between two prominent women of the state: film actor and TV personality Bobeeta Sharma, 52 for the Congress and Queen Ojha, 67, former mayor of  the city and…

A G Mourya, retired IPS officer and Makkal Needhi Maiam candidate is contesting from Chennai North parliamentary constituency; rival candidates are DMK’s Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy and DMDK’s former MLA Alagaapuram R Mohanraj. In a candid interview, A G Mourya, an MCC alumnus and the former Deputy Inspector General of Prisons, says he is confident of winning from the constituency, that had been a hot seat for the DMK for ten consecutive elections before 2014, when the AIADMK won it. Here are excerpts from the interview: How do you feel the transition from being a police officer to a politician? It…

The National Coalition for Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization, comprised of a group of people across different parts of the country, is involved in exploring questions pertaining to the city and whom the urban is meant for. The Coalition has recently put out a charter, endorsed by 150+ organizations and 2 lakh signatories across 40 cities, that lays out a number of steps that can be taken to make development in cities more inclusive and sustainable, keeping the real ‘Citymakers’ - urban poor and worker groups - and their rights at the centre of discourse and action. Right to Housing and…

The representatives of Federation of OMR Residents Associations (FOMRRA) came together on the afternoon of April 14th to listen to some of the candidates contesting for the Lok Sabha elections from Chennai South constituency. FOMRRA represents nearly three lakh households in gated communities, independent houses and small apartments. The candidates had been sent a set of key questions regarding water supply, sewage network and traffic management which have posed and continue to pose many challenges for the residents over the years. First to speak was Thamizhachi Thangapandian from the DMK. She acknowledged the questions sent to her but added that most…

P Nagarajan was a first time MP from the Coimbatore constituency in 2014, winning on an ADMK ticket. Coimbatore constituency consists of six assembly constituencies -- Singanallur, Sulur, Coimbatore South, Kavundampalayam, Palladam, Coimbatore North. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, P Nagarajan (AIADMK) defeated C P Radhakrishnan (BJP) by 42,016 votes. The constituency, with 17,20,221 voters, saw a voter turnout of 68.40 percent in the 2014 elections, of which Nagarajan secured 36.69 percent votes. P Nagarajan secured this victory on the back of a strong support base for his party in the Kongunad region of Tamil Nadu. [flexiblemap src="http://data.opencity.in/Data/Tamil-Nadu-Parliament-Constituency-Coimbatore-Map-V-1.kml" width="100%"…

Voting for election of the 17th Lok Sabha has started and will be conducted in seven phases in all, concluding on May 19th. And yes, in this magnificent exercise in the world's most populous democracy, it is crucial for every citizen to go out and vote. A high voter turnout puts the onus on elected representatives to discharge their duties and be held accountable for their action and inaction during their time in office. And yet, some of you may still be confused about the nitty gritty as well as the larger questions around the cast of your mandate. Here's a…

With just two days to go for Phase 2 of the 17th Lok Sabha Polls, civic campaigns complement the Election Commission of India's back-to-back activities on creating awareness about the right to vote. As part of the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities by the Election Commission, Greater Chennai Corporation has organised various activities such as Parasailing, bike rally and workshops to reach out to the voters. The website of the Chief Electoral officer, Tamil Nadu is filled with awareness videos by eminent film personalities such as Vijay Sethupathi and Vivek. Created by the Election Commission, #MakeYourMarkTN is…

A two-time Lok Sabha MP representing Thiruvallur constituency, P Venugopal has been part of the 15th and 16th Lok Sabha. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Venugopal (AIADMK) defeated Ravi Kumar (VCK) by 3,23,430 votes. The constituency, with 17,02,833 voters, had 73.67 percent voter turnout in the 2014 elections, of which Venugopal attained 50.01 percent votes.  P Venugopal has won the seat twice since the creation of the Thiruvallur constituency since the delimitation exercise in 2008. P Venugopal is seeking re-election to the 17th Lok Sabha as part of the grand alliance of AIADMK with BJP among other parties in…

Kameela Nasser is an eloquent woman. A contestant from Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), Kameela’s confidence and firm grip over grassroots level issues are rare in a newcomer to politics. Contesting from Chennai Central Parliamentary constituency, Kameela is fighting it out against big names: PMK (alliance with AIADMK)’s Sam Paul and DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran. A film producer, and wife of character artist Nasser, Kameela has been part of Kamal Hassan’s MNM for over eight months now. In a detailed interview with Citizen Matters Chennai, Kameela talks about her life before politics, the campaign trial and the pressing concerns in the constituency of…