NOTA: More than just an option
The 2013 Assembly Elections in five states saw the debut of the NOTA option that enables voters to reject all the candidates in the fray in a particular constituency. But parties that are challenging the political status quo marked by a see-saw battle between the two Dravidian majors – AIADMK and DMK – are desperately trying to woo these “politically disenchanted” NOTA voters, who, they hope, would endorse their claim of being the change that everyone wants to see. of votes As a % of votes polled Pondicherry 22,268 3 Meghalaya 30,145 2.8 Gujarat 4,54,880 1.8 Chhattisgarh 2,24,889 1.8 Dadra and Nagar Haveli 2,962 1.8 Bihar 5,81,011 1.6 Odisha 3,32,780 1.5 Mizoram 6,495 1.5 Jharkhand 1,90,927 1.5 Daman and Diu 1,316 1.5 Sikkim 4,332 1.4 Tamil Nadu 5,82,062 1.4 Madhya Pradesh 3,91,837 1.3 Tripura 23,783 1.2 Kerala 2,10,561 1.2 Goa 10,103 1.2 Rajasthan 3,27,902 1.2 Uttarakhand 48,043 1.1 West Bengal 5,68,276 1.1 Arunachal Pradesh 6,321 1.1 Over 60 lakh NOTA votes were polled in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, accounting for about 1.1 per cent of the total votes cast. Source: Election Commission of India ‘Support good candidates’ Siva Elango, an RTI activist and a leader of Puthiya Sakthi, an agglomeration of social activists and organisations that have come together to fight this Assembly elections, says, “Our slogan is ‘Say tata to NOTA’. Merely voting for NOTA discourages good candidates.” Gnani Shankaran, a political commentator who was earlier actively involved in creating awareness about 49 O, says, “NOTA’s objectives are definitely noble.
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