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Surprise Winner of Assembly Elections 2017? Say Hello to NOTA

In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 7 lakh of the electorate decided not to vote for any political party or candidate. 

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None of the above. The option to choose not to vote for any political candidate in an election. And in Assembly Elections 2017, nearly 9 lakh voters across the country made that choice.

In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 7 lakh of the electorate decided not to vote for any political party or candidate.

NOTA polled nearly 1% of the vote share in the state which has 403 Assembly constituencies. This is more than established political parties like Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, which got 0.2% of the vote, or 2 lakh votes.

Politically, this brings NOTA to the forefront in an unprecedented manner, since the option had almost no impact in Lok Sabha elections in 2014.



In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 7 lakh of the electorate decided not to vote for any political party or candidate. 
Vote share of NOTA in Uttar Pradesh is higher than AIMIM’s. (Photo: Election Commission of India)
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In Uttarakhand, NOTA Wins Over Smaller Parties



In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 7 lakh of the electorate decided not to vote for any political party or candidate. 
Vote share of NOTA in Uttar. (Photo: Election Commission of India)

In Uttarakhand, NOTA got a 1% vote share or nearly 50,000 votes, winning over Uttarakhand Kranti Dal which got a measly 0.7%.

Similar trends were also seen in Punjab, where NOTA’s vote share was 0.7% and Goa where NOTA won a substantial 1.2% of the total vote share.

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A Waste of Universal Franchise?

But is NOTA worth it?

The Election Commission considers NOTA votes ‘invalid’, even though the votes are counted. So, in a constituency, 8 out of 10 people can vote NOTA, but there would still be a winner – the candidate who gets 2 votes. Effectively then, NOTA has no impact on election results, unless all voters in a constituency choose to vote NOTA. This is why most political analysts state that NOTA is a waste of individual franchise.

Whether voters continue to embrace NOTA, or reject a choice which essentially leaves them with no agency to choose their representative remains to be seen. But in the NOTA saga, Assembly elections 2017 will surely be remembered as a landmark.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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