If you do not like any candidate of any political party and you do not want to give your vote to any of them, then what will you do? The Election Commission (EC) has made such a system that a mechanism is developed in the voting system so that it can be recorded how many percents of the people have not considered it appropriate to vote for anyone.

NOTA means none of the above or none of these. Now you have another option in the election that you can press the button ‘None of these’. This option is NOTA. To suppress this means that you do not like any of the candidates contesting the election.

In the EVM machine, the button of NONE OF THE ABOVE i.e. NOTA is pink in color.

When was NOTA first used?

The Election Commission of India had directed to provide the option of None of the above, or NOTA button in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the December 2013 assembly elections. Votes cast on NOTA while counting votes are also counted. How many people voted in NOTA is also assessed.

This vote of not being ineligible, untrustworthy and unqualified or disliked by any candidate of the public through election (NOTA) is simply a message of how many percents of voters do not want any candidate.

When the system of NOTA was not in our country, then you did not vote in the elections and lodged your protest. In this way, your vote gets lost. To solve this, the option of NOTA was brought so that the integrity of the election process and politics could be maintained.

Nota option is applicable in many countries including India, Greece, Ukraine, Spain, Colombia, and Russia. Prior to the use of EVM in elections, when ballot paper was used. Even then the voters had the right to register their protest leaving the ballot paper blank. This meant that voters do not like any candidate contesting elections.

Rule 49-0 of the Voting Laws 1961 states, “If a voter reaches the vote and after entry in Form 17A affixes his signature or thumb impression on the register under sub-rule (1) of Rule 49L and thereafter If it decides not to register the vote, its record is recorded in the register. “

This is mentioned in Form 17A and the polling officer has to write a comment about it.

In the year 2009, the Election Commission informed the Supreme Court about its intention to provide an option of NOTA. Later, the civil rights organization People’s Union for Civil Liberties also filed a PIL in support of NOTA. On which, in 2013, the court decided to give the option of NOTA to the voters. However, later the Election Commission made it clear that NOTA votes will be counted but it will be kept in the category of canceled votes.

Also Read: VOTING BEGINS FOR DELHI ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS, 672 CANDIDATES IN 70 SEATS