At least 14.79 per cent of the total voters who had exercised their franchise in the Andheri (East) Assembly bypoll in Mumbai chose the None of The Above (NOTA) option.
Key points
- In absolute numbers, 12,806 votes were polled in favour of NOTA, which stood in second space after the winning candidate. Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) won the bypoll by bagging 66,530 votes of the total 86,570 votes polled in the November 3 byelection.
- Rutuja Latke polled 76.85 per cent of the total votes.
About NOTA
- The Supreme Court in September 2013 upheld the right of voters to reject all candidates contesting the elections, saying it would go a long way in cleansing the political system. The EVMs have the NOTA option at the end of the candidates’ list.
- NOTA was introduced in India following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India judgment.
- India became the 14th country to institute negative voting.
- NOTA in India does not provide for a ‘right to reject’.
- The candidate with the maximum votes wins the election irrespective of the number of NOTA votes polled.
- The NOTA option was first used in the assembly elections held in five states in 2013. More than 15 lakh people exercised the option in the states polls. The figure, however, was lower than 1.5% of the total voters.
- Before the NOTA option came in existence, people casting negative votes were required to enter their names in a register and cast their vote on a separate paper ballot.
- Under Section 49 (O) of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, a voter could enter his electoral serial number in Form 17A and cast a negative vote. The presiding officer would then put a remark in the form and get it signed by the voter. This was done to prevent fraud or misuse of votes.
- This provision was, however, deemed unconstitutional by the SC as it did not protect the identity of the voter.
