Clueless about your election candidate's background and wondering who to vote for? Here's how to stay informed

You know the feeling. Come election time, you take one look at the candidates from your constituency and decide not to exercise your franchise. What's the point, you think, when each seems more corrupt than the other? Or you go the indifferent route. Ask parents and friends who they are voting for and blindly follow. Later you discover that the guy you voted for is a history-sheeter. It's time to stop being a blind voter. Put in some thought behind your vote. Here's how to do it:

Check The Credentials Of The Candidate
You may follow one political party or decide to vote for an independent candidate. Whatever it is, do yourself and the country a big service by checking out the credentials of the person you intend to vote for.

Your candidate claims to have worked for the underprivileged and the poor?
Do a little ground work instead of relying on the candidate's campaign speeches. Checking his background is not difficult. The Supreme Court's historic judgement of March 2003 has made it mandatory for all candidates to disclose their criminal offences, if any, their assets and liabilities, including money owed to government and public financial institutions and their educational background. Beside, there's always the Internet.