Time to cast (y)our vote

The 14th Lok Sabha elections is all set to go with the campaigning ending today. Like many others, I have been often perplexed to choose the right representative having been exposed to various manifestos. I don't have any inclination towards any particular party which makes my job tougher. Trusting one's candidature is the only option left. One of my criteria is how well can my representative represent my constituency and prioritize and debate on important issues. A statistics goes that around 80000+ issues were discussed in the parliament this year. While working on the imperative national/international issues, the issues that I am directly affected with are more likely to be sidelined. Another statistics states that, while parliament is supposed to meet for 180-220 times an year( a minimum of 130 times), they met only for a dismal 32 times in 2008, the shortest duration of parliament in its history. It is highly unlikely that local issues can get any attention in this time. While it is necessary to debate on the national issues, there will however be hardly any progress towards the perennial problems. Well, I don't claim to be an expert to comment on this more.

There are a bunch of resources in the web to help us choose our representative. Visit smartvote.in to know your constituency, candidates and their records, voting details, etc.