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More voters in Jammu and Kashmir used the NOTA button against those in Haryana, latest Election Commission data shows. In elections to the 90-member Haryana assembly, out of over two crore electors, 67.90 per cent had exercised their franchise. Out of these, 0.38 per cent used the none of the above (NOTA) option on the voting machine. In the three-phased Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls to 90 seats, 63.88 per cent of the total electorate voted. Out of these, 1.48 per cent opted for the NOTA option. According to trends, not more than two per cent of the voters have opted for the NOTA option, indicating continued reluctance of electors in choosing the option. Introduced in 2013, the NOTA option on electronic voting machines has its own symbol a ballot paper with a black cross across it. After the Supreme Court order in September 2013, EC added the NOTA button on the EVMs as the last option on the voting panel. Before the apex court order, those not inclined to vote for any candidat
Sixty-eight per cent of the total 100 candidates in the fray on Jammu and Kashmir's five Lok Sabha seats polled fewer than None Of The Above (NOTA) votes, according to Election Commission data. Cumulately, 34,788 voters pressed the NOTA button in the five seats, showing their rejection of the candidates fielded by parties. The maximum 12,938 NOTA votes were polled in the Udhampur constituency of Jammu region, a seat retained by BJP candidate Jitendra Singh. There were 11 other candidates in the fray from Udhampur, and NOTA polled more votes than nine of them. In the neighbouring Jammu seat, 4,645 voters pressed the NOTA button, which is more than votes individually garnered by 18 candidates. There were 22 candidates in the fray from the seat which has been retained by the BJP's Jugal Kishore. In the Srinagar seat, the number of NOTA votes was 5,998. There were 24 candidates in the fray from the constituency and most of them -- 18 -- got fewer votes than NOTA. In the Anantnag-Rajo
BJP's sitting MP from Indore Shankar Lalwani won on Tuesday by a record margin of 11,75,092 votes in a contest where NOTA created a record with 2.18 lakh voters opting for the 'none of the above' option in the Lok Sabha elections. His victory margin is probably the highest in the country's electoral history, a BJP leader claimed. In Tikamgarh (SC) seat, Union minister Virendra Kumar emerged victorious as he defeated his Congress rival Pankaj Ahirwar by 4,03,312 votes. The Congress had received a jolt in the Indore Lok Sabha seat after its candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination on April 29, the last date for the withdrawal of nominations. Bam later joined the BJP, prompting the Congress to appeal to the people to press the NOTA option on EVMs during polling in Indore on May 13. Lalwani had secured victory for the first time in the 2019 elections. Virendra Kumar remained undefeated in the Tikamgarh Lok Sabha seat since 2009 and won the elections for the fourth time in a
The voter turnout in Madhya Pradesh's Indore Lok Sabha constituency, where the Congress was out of poll race, has decreased by about 7.5 per cent compared to the 2019 parliamentary election, as per official data. While the BJP said voters in Indore did not like Congress' "negative appeal" to press the 'None of the Above' option on EVMs, the grand old party claimed no matter which candidate wins the Indore seat, NOTA will create a new national record. Polling in Indore and seven other Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh was held on Monday during the fourth and last phase of the general elections in the state. The Congress had urged voters to press the NOTA button on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) after its candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination at the last minute and joined the BJP. An official at the district election office, quoting provisional figures, on Tuesday said out of the 25.27 lakh eligible voters, 61.75 per cent exercised their franchise on Monday. In t
Amid the Congress' appeal to voters to opt for NOTA in the Indore Lok Sabha poll, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda has said the BJP will encourage the people to come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. The BJP held a meeting here late Sunday night where a discussion was held on how to increase the voting percentage in the Indore Lok Sabha seat. Polling in Indore, where the Congress is out of race after its candidate withdrew his nomination, is scheduled on May 13. There are a total of 14 candidates in the fray, including BJP's sitting MP Shankar Lalwani. Nine of the candidates are contesting as independents. The Indore Lok Sabha seat is held by the BJP for last 35 years. After the meeting on Sunday, Deputy CM Devda, who is the in-charge of BJP's Indore cluster, told reporters, "It was discussed in the meeting that maximum voting should be held in the Indore Lok Sabha constituency." The BJP will motivate people to come out in large numbers to vote a
At a time when the Election Commission pledges to leave no stone unturned to bring eligible voters to polling stations to exercise their franchise, not many electors are aware of their right to refuse to vote even after registering their identities before the presiding officer. That right, which is separate from the provision to vote under NOTA, can be exercised under the 'Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 Rule 49-O', which elaborates the little-known option for electors to abstain from voting even after reaching the polling booth. While the NOTA (None Of The Above) option allows voters to express their lack of confidence in any of the candidates seeking mandate, the refusal to vote' option allows an elector to shun the poll process in its entirety. The 49-O clause directs the presiding officer that once an elector refuses to vote inside a booth after having his credentials verified, the officer shall put a remark to this effect against the entry in Form 17A and the signature or thum
The counting of votes in three out of four states on Sunday showed that less than one per cent of the voters exercised the 'none of the above' (NOTA) option in the just-concluded assembly polls, according to the election commission. Assembly polls were conducted in five states and while the counting of votes in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana was held on Sunday, votes will be counted in Mizoram on Monday. In Madhya Pradesh, 0.99 per cent of the voters went for the NOTA option out of total voter turnout of 77.15 per cent. In neighbouring Chhattisgarh, 1.29 per cent of the electors pressed the NOTA button. Here, the voter turnout was 76.3 per cent. In Telangana, 0.74 per cent of the electors opted for NOTA. The state registered 71.14 per cent of voter turnout. Similarly, in Rajasthan 0.96 per cent of the voters exercised the NOTA option. It had recorded 74.62 per cent turnout. Talking to PTI on the NOTA option, Pradeep Gupta of Axis My India said NOTA has been
The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party on Tuesday alleged that voters were being paid to choose None Of The Above or NOTA option in the November 3 Andheri East Assembly byelection in the city. The campaigning for the byelection came to an end at 5 pm. The party has raised this issue with the Election Commission as well as the police, said its senior leader Anil Parab The election will have ramifications in the coming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election too as for the first time it will see the combined strength of Maha Vikas Aghadi allies (Thackeray-led Sena, NCP and Congress), Parab said. Some people are being paid money to choose NOTA," the former Maharashtra minister alleged. His party has video clips showing purported workers of the Republican Party of India (RPI) indulging in such acts, he said. The RPI (Athawale faction) is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction has fielded Rutuja Latke, the wife of ...