About NOTA (None of the Above):
- It is a ballot option that a voter can choose to apply for instead of giving their vote to any of the contesting candidates.
- It empowers the electors to express their negative opinions and a lack of support for the contenders. It gives them the right to reject while maintaining the secrecy of their decision.
- When was it first used?
- It was used for the first time in the 2013 Assembly elections in five states-Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh-and later in the 2014 General Elections.
- It was introduced into the electoral process following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL versus Union of India case.
- How does a person cast a NOTA vote?
- The NOTA option in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is given at the bottom of the candidates' list.
- Earlier, in order to cast a negative ballot, a voter had to inform the presiding officer at the polling booth. Now the voter has just to press the NOTA option on the EVM.
- Does NOTA Vote Count?
- The Election Commission clarified that votes cast as NOTA are counted, but are considered ‘invalid votes’.
- Even if NOTA votes get the most number of votes in a constituency, the next candidate with the second-most number of votes is declared the winner.
- Therefore, votes made to NOTA will not change the outcome of the election.
