Editorial
April-2019
The 17th Lok Sabha elections are round the corner. Political vigour is palpable in the air. As political leaders pull up their socks for the bout that sees its first round on April 11, the entire nation would be keeping its fingers crossed for the final outcome.
In Punjab, polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats takes place in the seventh and last phase on May 19, about the time when it would be curtains for the harvesting season.
An interesting facet of the election this time is the smart phone in your hand. In fact, a whole array of apps and mobile websites which you can access from your phone, will make this the most technologically advanced election ever held.
Giving more power to the voter the election commission has introduced the cVIGIL App which allows the vigilant voter to pitch in and report violations of the moral code of conduct by political parties. The app registers the location as well as the timestamp along with the photographic proof of the potential violations. And going by the number of complaints and quick response action the app has caught on.
The other apps in the election commission kitty are the Voter Helpline App and the PwD App to help voters with disabilities.
In this election special issue we touch on various aspects of electioneering, besides touching on briefly the profile of each Lok Sabha constituency.
In addition, to commemorate the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev that falls on March 23, we carry an exclusive piece delineating some of the unknown details of moments before Shaheed Bhagat Singh kissed the gallows.