Google, partners launch India Elections Center

Internet giant Google on Monday unveiled an online resource in English and Hindi for voters taking part in India's general elections later this month.

The Google India Elections Center allows Indian voters to go online to confirm their registration status, locate their polling place and view their constituency on a map.

A partnership with The Hindustan Times and several non-profit groups, the India Elections Center also provides information about candidates and offers links to election-related news, blogs, videos, and quotations.

Users of the Indian Elections Center site, located at google.co.in/intl/en/landing/loksabha2009/ , can evaluate the status of development in their constituency using a range of indicators.

"With still more features to be added during the election, we hope the site will be an ongoing resource for analysis, governance, and democracy in India after the election," Google said in a post on the official company blog.

Google's partners include the Association for Democratic Reforms, Hindustan Times Media Ltd, Indicus Analytics, the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, the Liberty Institute, and PRS Legislative Services.

India's general elections begin April 16 and end May 13.

(c) 2009 AFP