Few Takers For NOTA As Maharashtra, Jharkhand Elections Results Come In

The "None of the Above" (NOTA) option had minimal impact in the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections. According to Election Commission (EC) data, only 0.75 per cent of voters in Maharashtra and 1.32 per cent in Jharkhand chose NOTA over the listed candidates.

The voter turnout, however, was robust in both states. Maharashtra recorded a 65.02 per cent turnout in its single-phase election on November 20, while Jharkhand's turnout reached 66.65 per cent and 68.45 per cent across its two phases on November 13 and 20, respectively.

Introduced in 2013 following a Supreme Court directive, NOTA offers voters an option to reject all candidates while maintaining ballot secrecy, an improvement over the earlier Form 49-O system. Despite its availability, the feature has remained a fringe choice, with less than 2 per cent of voters consistently opting for it in recent elections.

In Maharashtra, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is set to retain power, delivering a blow to the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. The opposition MVA, comprising Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), and Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction), trailed far behind. 

Prominent BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar, were leading in their respective constituencies. Senior Congress figures such as Nana Patole, Prithviraj Chavan, and Balasaheb Thorat were trailing.

In Jharkhand, Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance appeared poised to retain power, leading in 56 of the 81 assembly seats as per the latest EC data. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) performed below expectations, leading in just 23 constituencies.

The JMM's campaign, which focused on tribal identity and invoked public sympathy following Mr Soren's legal troubles, resonated with voters, particularly in regions like Santhal Parganas. The BJP's focus on issues such as "infiltrators" seemed to falter in comparison.