After BJP & Cong, NOTA Polled Most Votes in Gujarat Elections

This was the first time that the BJP had contested the Gujarat Assembly elections without Narendra Modi as its chief ministerial face.

(Photo: The Quint) 

The finer details of the Gujarat results reveal some fascinating trends. NOTA polled 1.8% votes in Gujarat, more than any other party in fray barring the BJP & Congress. In 30 constituencies of Gujarat, NOTA received more votes than the victory margin. After the dedicated NOTA symbol was introduced in 2015, the 1.8% votes to NOTA in Gujarat is the highest percentage of votes to NOTA after Bihar (2015), where NOTA polled 2.48%.

BJP Won 15 of These Seats 30 Seats

Out of the 15 seats won by the BJP where NOTA polled more than the victory margin, the difference in the NOTA votes and margin was more than 1,000 votes in seven constituencies and less than 500 in the remaining eight. This difference was greatest in Godhra, where the victory margin was a mere 158 votes while NOTA polled 3,050 votes. In Dholka as well, the victory margin was only 327 while NOTA polled 2,347.

Congress Won 13 of These Seats & Independents Won 2

Out of the 13 seats won by the Congress where NOTA polled more than the victory margin, the difference in the NOTA votes and margin was more than 1,000 in nine constituencies and less than 100 in the remaining four. The difference was less than 1,000 in both the seats won by Independents. This difference was greatest in Chhota Udaipur where the victory margin was 1,093 votes while NOTA polled 5,870 votes. In Kaprada, the victory margin was only 170, while NOTA polled 3,868. In Jetpur, the victory margin was 3,052 while NOTA polled 6,155.

Gujarat 2nd Only to Bihar in Percentage of Votes for NOTA

Elections have taken place in thirteen states/UTs after the dedicated NOTA symbol was introduced in 2015. The symbol for NOTA was first introduced in the Bihar assembly elections in 2015 and NOTA received 2.48% of the votes in that election. After Bihar, it is the Gujarat assembly elections in 2017 where NOTA received 1.8% of the vote. In Gujarat, NOTA received more than 5,000 votes in as many as 10 constituencies, more than 4,000 votes in 28 constituencies and more than 3,000 votes in almost half (87) of the constituencies. NOTA stood 3rd in terms of votes polled in more than 100 constituencies of Gujarat. On the other hand, NOTA polled only 0.9% votes in Himachal.

(This article was originally published on FACTLY.)