A voting quiz in all 22 official Indian languages

Fifteen questions. At the end of them, Bharat votes suggests the political party that matches the voter's values the best.

Samara Bhagat built the website, now a prototype, around a problem she sees in Indian elections. Those elections see the largest voter turnouts in the world, she says, and over the years the government has been able to greatly increase physical accessibility to voting in a country of 1.3 billion people. "Yet, one major problem remains: political literacy."

“People know where and how to vote but they don't know who to vote for”

Samara Bhagat

Voters don't know what each political party stands for, Samara says, or whether a certain party aligns with their interests as Indian citizens. "I hope to bridge this gap through my website Bharat votes."

The model is Dutch. "Bharat votes is inspired from my time at UWC Maastricht as it is based on the Dutch stemwijzer quiz adapted to and enhanced for an Indian context," she says.

The 15 question, option based quiz covers the Indian central elections. A second quiz, of 10 questions, is applicable for the state elections of all 28 Indian states. There is also a policy guide about key political policy changes in India, and the website can be translated into all 22 official Indian constitutional languages. The prototype is online now.

Mumbai is Samara's hometown. "I care about this project with all my heart because I care deeply for my fellow indian citizens," she says. "I believe good governance is the least we deserve after years of struggle and subjugation."

"I hope to serve my people in whatever way I can," Samara says.