The “None of the above” (NOTA) option came to everyone’s focus when the Election Commission of India expressed its wish to offer the voters a “None of the above” option at the ballot infront of Supreme Court in 2009.On 27th September 2013 NOTA option was made mandatory so that people who do not wish to vote for any of the candidates in their respective constituencies had the option of not voting all of them without giving up their right to a secret vote. NOTA does not mean “right to reject” rather it sis simply the right to register a negative opinion. “Democracy is all about choices and voters will be empowered by this right of negative voting”, said the order passed by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India P.Sathasivam.
The Election Commission (EC) has declared that the NOTA option will be provided at the bottom of the panel on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) after all the candidates have been listed with their respective symbols in the same language used to list the candidates. Likewise, the contours of the NOTA panel will be identical to that given to each candidates.
The EC has clarified in the extreme case of the NOTA option polling more votes than any of the candidates who gets the maximum number of votes will be declared the winner. While in the last assembly elections held in five states there has been no significant outcome of NOTA.
NOTA may not affect election results, but it would definitely put pressure o political parties to nominate only good candidates. As a judge said that this “would lead to a systematic change in polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates.”
NOTA will further ensure the secrecy of the voters to make a choice that amounts to abstention, and also to ensure that nobody casts a bogus vote in his place.
Before the EVMs came, when ballot papers were used, there were cases when voters would put a blank slip into the ballot box, some would deliberately spoil the ballot by stamping it more than one place or even write “sab chor hai” (they are all thieves).These were counted but did not have an impact on the result.
But after EVMs came in 1998, that secrecy or the chance to invalid voters was taken away since the pressing of a button is accomplished by a loud beep, audible in the entire polling booth and even outside. No beep will mean non-voting and everyone will know.
Now with the inclusion of NOTA option on EVMs, if a voter does not consider any candidate worthy, he would not have to abstain from voting by not turning up at all, which was also not an ideal option for a conscientious and responsible citizen. So to avoid this situation and to encourage the value of voting which is very important in a healthy democracy EC has not only recognized this but also implemented. NOTA is no doubt a very significant footstep towards the strengthening basic feature of a democracy i.e. the participation of its citizen.
NOTA may not affect election results, but it would definitely put pressure o political parties to nominate only good candidates. As a judge said that this “would lead to a systematic change in polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates.”
NOTA will further ensure the secrecy of the voters to make a choice that amounts to abstention, and also to ensure that nobody casts a bogus vote in his place.
Before the EVMs came, when ballot papers were used, there were cases when voters would put a blank slip into the ballot box, some would deliberately spoil the ballot by stamping it more than one place or even write “sab chor hai” (they are all thieves).These were counted but did not have an impact on the result.
But after EVMs came in 1998, that secrecy or the chance to invalid voters was taken away since the pressing of a button is accomplished by a loud beep, audible in the entire polling booth and even outside. No beep will mean non-voting and everyone will know.
Now with the inclusion of NOTA option on EVMs, if a voter does not consider any candidate worthy, he would not have to abstain from voting by not turning up at all, which was also not an ideal option for a conscientious and responsible citizen. So to avoid this situation and to encourage the value of voting which is very important in a healthy democracy EC has not only recognized this but also implemented. NOTA is no doubt a very significant footstep towards the strengthening basic feature of a democracy i.e. the participation of its citizen.
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