Synopsis

In ‘The Poll’ players take control of the affairs of a political party: manages their finances, their policy stand and decide which seats to contest in the run-up to the General Election. Each player must draft an all-inclusive manifesto to fight for constituencies all over the country, make promises through arguments and choose which campaign strategies to employ in order to maximize their vote share, with the ultimate aim to win the majority of seats in the Lok Sabha.

The objective of the game is to form the government by winning the majority of the seats in the Lok Sabha or Parliament of India. This is done by winning the constituencies that send the maximum number of your MPs to Parliament.

Received well both Internationally as well as in India, the game was covered in over fifty publications including BBC, CNN, Vice News and the Diplomat.

Over 2019 and 2020, the team played with over 7500 players, with competitions held in IIM Bangalore, Somaiya College, Mumbai and others.

check out the trailer

Gallery

Credits

The Poll is a product of the Civic Games Lab, a project led under the New Delhi based NGO, SMART. The NGO was established in 1997, and it works with vulnerable communities to create awareness and empower them to speak up and stand up for their rights and entitlements.

The Poll has been built with support by Friedrich Naumann Foundation, a German not-for-profit establishment committed to the idea of freedom and dignity for all in over sixty nations.

Created by: Abeer Kapoor
Research: Vidita Priyadarshini and Anandya Bajaj
Graphic Design: Saumya Kharbanda and Ujan Dutta
Illustration: Ujan Dutta
Proofread By: Yana Bey

Media

The Poll: An Indian Board Game Reflects Indian Society and Politics: https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/the-poll-an-indian-board-game-reflects-indian-society-and-politics/ (Featured on The Diplomat)

Lok Sabha Election 2019: The Poll – The Great Election Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzrUV8Rdzac (Featured on Indian Express Online)

A new Indian board game lets you join a party, fight an election (with fake news and dirty politics): https://scroll.in/article/905156/a-new-indian-board-game-lets-you-join-a-party-fight-an-election-with-fake-news-and-dirty-politics (Featured on Scroll)

The Poll: Getting youngsters on board for a game of elections: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/280719/the-poll-getting-youngsters-on-board-for-a-game-of-elections.html (Featured on Deccan Chronicle)

Taking Indian politics to board games: How ‘Shasn’ and ‘The Poll’ place players in the shoes of politicians: https://www.firstpost.com/living/taking-indian-politics-to-board-games-how-shasn-and-the-poll-place-players-in-the-shoes-of-politicians-6389261.html (Featured on FirstPost)