Facebook application to predict Gujarat poll results

Rediff too has launched Rediff Sentimeter, a map-based tool, to predict outcome of Guj polls

As excitement around the Gujarat polls builds up, Facebook applications have come up that are involving users of the social networking site to predict the election results.

The application named 'Gujarat Guru' has been launched around four days back and has been used by 224 people so far. Around 95.98 per cent of the facebook users who have used the application have predicted that BJP would win the state assembly elections with 117 seats, around 1.79 per cent people have predicted that Congress would win the polls with 73 seats, while 2.23 per cent people have predicted that 'Others' would win with 62 seats.

'Gujarat Guru', is an initiative by Netcore and IndiaVotes.  Mumbai-based Niti Digital, a media and technology company  backed by Netcore founder Rajesh Jain has recently launched IndiaVotes.com, India's largest public domain election database. 'Niti Digital operates digital media properties and also provides technology, services and consulting for socio-political organizations', said the company's website. Niti Digital owns and operates a set of online media properties which includes sites offering news and current affairs, blogs, social media communities, online video and audio channels.

A senior official of Niti Digital informed that the company has also launched another application on Facebook called 'pledgetovotegujarat' which is asking users of the application to pledge to exercise their votes during the upcoming assembly elections, and also asking them to encourage their friends to actively vote during the state elections this time.

"We want people to vote, and one should vote as an informed voter. These applications are ways to encourage people's involvement in the election process. Gujarat Guru is an application that is like the ''aam aadmi" prediction of poll results", the official said.

Another search engine portal rediff.com on had launched an interactive map-based tool that predicts who could win the Gujarat assembly election 2012 called the Rediff Sentimeter last Monday
The Rediff Sentimeter is based on the performance of each constituency in previous assembly elections in Gujarat and gives readers the overall forecast, as well as down to each constituency as readers click on it. It is also optimised for mobile platforms.
The Rediff Sentimeter also factors in the delimitation of constituencies and also takes into account the impact Keshubhai Patel's Gujarat Parivartan Party will have on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s fortunes.
Contrary to what many opinion polls suggest, the Rediff Sentimeter reveals that the election result is not a certainty for any party, a statement said.  While chief minister Narendra Modi and the BJP remain the frontrunners, undecided voters in many constituencies could tilt the balance.
The Rediff Sentimeter can be accessed here: http://www.rediff.com/news/gujarat-assembly-elections-2012 or http://rediff.ly/sentimeter.