NOTA Votes in Indore: Why NOTA was Introduced and its Consequences

NOTA serves as a tool for voter expression and electoral accountability. Know all about Why NOTA was Introduced and its Consequences in Lok Sabha 2024.

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Context: In Indore, the winning candidate secured a victory by a substantial margin of 10.09 lakh votes, tallying a total of 1,226,751 votes. The closest competitor was the NOTA option, which received 218,674 votes.

NOTA votes rank 3rd in 24 of 25 seats in Gujarat, vote share of 1.56 per cent.
Across 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana have underscored significant voter dissatisfaction, as witnessed by a substantial number of None of the Above (NOTA) votes.
Nota emerged as the 3rd-highest vote-getter in four of six parliamentary constituencies in Mumbai
Bihar leads among key states in NOTA votes as 2% voters reject all candidates

None Of The Above (NOTA)

NOTA stands for “None Of The Above,” a ballot option for Indian voters.
It allows voters to reject all candidates in an election without compromising their vote’s secrecy.
First Use: NOTA was first used in the 2013 Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh, and then in the 2014 General Elections.
Legal Introduction: The option was introduced following a 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL vs Union of India case.
Casting a NOTA Vote: Voters can select NOTA on the EVM, located at the end of the candidates’ list.
Previous Method: Before EVMs, voters had to verbally inform the presiding officer to cast a negative vote.
Electoral Impact: NOTA votes do not affect the election outcome. The candidate with the highest number of votes wins, regardless of NOTA votes.

Frictions Related to NOTA

From 2018, states including Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi, and Puducherry began recognizing NOTA as a “fictional electoral candidate” in Local body polls.
These states have rules that mandate re-election if NOTA comes out as the winner, effectively disqualifying the candidate who finished second.
The petition contends that the practice of declaring the second-place candidate as the winner in cases where NOTA has the most votes is against the foundational principles of NOTA.
The rules in these states regarding NOTA and election outcomes should be uniformly applied across all of India, as per the petition.

Note

The concept of NOTA is not unique to India. Several other countries have similar provisions. For instance, Greece, Ukraine, and Spain have options equivalent to NOTA in their electoral systems.