07 April 2009 | Author: J. Cave SEO Consultant

Google India Election Centre launched

With the upcoming Indian elections just days away, Google and the Hindustan Times have launched the Google India Election Centre for voters in the country.

Backed by a number of other non-profit groups, the Google India Election Centre will help voters with simple tasks such as checking registration status, as well as providing up-to-date coverage on the elections to the 15th Lok Sabha (lower house).

This isn't the first time that Google has got behind a national election. In both the United States and Australia, Google has launched similar initiatives, although the Indian elections will be the first time voters will be able to check their registration status online.

For the 700 million or so eligible voters in India, the Google India Election Centre means voters will have a wealth of valuable information at their fingertips, allowing them to make an informed and educated decision when they go to the voting booths.

The website will offer voters information on election candidates as well as an in depth analysis of their constituency. The website will also allow voters to see whether or not current politicians have improved conditions such as employment and literacy since the last election. This final feature of the website could play a major role in seeing which candidates serve a second term.

Other useful features of the website include details of where the nearest polling stations are as well as access to the latest polls and debates concerning the election.

In an official blog post, Rishi Jaitly and Sanjay Jain from Google said: "We're hopeful not only that the elections centre will further a culture that seeks access to information, but that it will also yield positive changes in voting patterns during the upcoming polls."

Last year comScore reported that Google was responsible for around 81 per cent of search engine use within India. And with the launch of this innovative tool, Google could have the potential to further increase its market share within India.

Elections to the 15th Lok Sabha will run in five phases from April 16th until May 13th.

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