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  1. What is MyNeta?

Myneta.info is an open access repository platform run by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) which aims to empower Indian voters with election-related information.

In 1999, Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by ADR with Delhi High Court asking the disclosure of the criminal, financial and educational background of the candidates contesting elections. Based on this, the Supreme Court in 2002, and subsequently in 2003, made it mandatory for all candidates contesting elections to disclose criminal, financial and educational background prior to the polls by filing an affidavit with the Election Commission of India (ECI). Ever since then, ADR has been striving to encourage Indian voters to be an informed voter by empowering them with this information.

  1. What kind of information is available on MyNeta?

Election Watch (EW), started in 2002, data includes:

  • Criminal, Financial and Educational information of candidates who have contested, as also winners of elections to State Assemblies, the Parliament and a few local bodies

Political Party Watch (PPW), started in 2008, data includes:

  • Income-Expenditure Statement of various political parties (national, regional and unrecognised parties) and
  • Donations above Rs 20,000 that are received by Political Parties (National & Regional)
  1. What are the sources of the data available on MyNeta?

EW Data Source: Candidates' affidavits obtained from the Election Commission of India (ECI) website (www.eci.gov.in) with nomination papers.

PPW Data Source: Income Tax returns and the donations details submitted to the IT Department and the Election Commission respectively by the political parties themselves.

Please note: Sheer volume of data that has to be read from the affidavits that are often poorly scanned and alacrity with which these reports have to be brought out makes it quite difficult to ensure accuracy of every bit of data. In case of any discrepancy in our reports vis a vis the original affidavit of any candidate, the original affidavit should be considered accurate. If you notice any discrepancies between affidavit and our report kindly let us know and we will fix them on our end as soon as possible.

  1. Does MyNeta charge for sharing the information?

No. MyNeta is an open access repository platform run by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a citizen-led, non-political and non-governmental organization which has been working for around 20 years with the objective of bringing electoral and political reforms, so as to improve democracy and governance in India. 

MyNeta is based on open source principles with the mission to make data accessible to everyone: the general public, media, and researchers. The data is freely available for non-commercial purposes with the expectation that users will not use/sell the data for the purpose of gaining profit, thereby creating a public good that increases in value over time.

  1. By when is the background data of candidates generally available on MyNeta?

The large volume of data which has to be read from the affidavits that are often poorly scanned, makes it a time consuming process. Hence, we are in a position to release the data only 5-7 days before the polling date.

  1. Does MyNeta provide data in CSV format?

No, MyNeta doesn’t provide data in CSV format but we do provide data in API format to the media houses.

  1. I need data of a specific election or time frame. How shall I get it in easily accessible format?

You can write to us at [email protected].

  1. How to collaborate with MyNeta?

You can write to us at [email protected].

  1. How to donate to MyNeta?

Please visit - https://adrindia.org/donate.

  1. How do I give feedback/report if any link is broken, information is unclear or could be improved?

If you have any suggestions/queries for us, come across issues with the data, want to discuss using MyNeta for research or suggest any improvements then please write to us at [email protected].

  1. What are the Terms & Conditions to use MyNeta data?

Please click the link here to view the terms & conditions to use MyNeta Data.

Please note: We encourage that those who use MyNeta data for academic or private research may share the published research work/links with us in due course of time. This will help us to understand the many ways in which our data can be analysed, used and will help us to improve its functionality over time.