NOTA continues to impact election dynamics subtly yet significantly.
Introduced in 2013, following a Supreme Court directive, the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option gives voters the right to reject all candidates without compromising the secrecy of their decision. Its impact was notably felt in the recent assembly elections across four states Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana where the NOTA votes outnumbered the margin of victory in 47 assembly seats.
Its symbol, a ballot paper with a black cross, sits at the end of the electronic voting machines, serving as the electorate's veto power. Despite its declining usage, with a notable drop from 1.41 per cent in 2018 to 0.97 per cent in recent polls, the presence of NOTA continues to impact election dynamics subtly yet significantly.
NOTA Factor And Its Implications In Elections
In the recent assembly elections in these states, a noteworthy trend emerged where NOTA votes surpassed the margin of victory in several constituencies. Out of the total 639 assembly seats in the mentioned states, 7.35 per cent of the seats i.e. 47 witnessed higher NOTA votes than the margin of victory; 20 of them coming alone from Madhya Pradesh.
This development sheds light on a scenario where even a fraction of NOTA votes, if cast in favour of the runner-up candidate, could have changed the election's result, underscoring the fragility and competitiveness of democratic contests. It represents a section of the electorate dissatisfied enough to prefer no candidate over the ones contesting.
Rajasthan: The Balancing Act
In Rajasthan during the recent assembly elections, NOTA votes outstripped the margin of victory in 17 pivotal seats. Here, both the major political contenders, BJP and Congress, secured 8 seats each where NOTA's influence was maximum, while former National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) claimed one. On average, these 17 constituencies saw 2,467 NOTA votes, where the average winning margin of votes was 1,380.
Notably, in constituencies like Khinwsar, the political narrative was as much about the candidates as the NOTA votes. RLP's Hanuman Beniwal triumphed by 2,059 votes, with the NOTA count hovering close at 2,130 votes. Similarly, in Baytoo, political heavyweight and former minister Harish Chaudhary scraped through with a 910-vote margin, where 2,173 votes were poled for NOTA. The story was no different in Hawa Mahal, where Congress's R R Tiwari faced defeat with NOTA tallying 1,463 votes, just 489 votes shy of his shortfall.
Madhya Pradesh: The NOTA Factor
The central state of Madhya Pradesh witnessed NOTA playing a critical role in 20 constituencies, of which Congress won 13 and BJP 7.
The BJP savoured a narrow victory by 28 votes in Shajapur, shadowed by a substantial 1,534 NOTA votes. In these 20 seats, the margins were tight, often less than 1,000 votes, yet NOTA averaged 2,525 votes, overshadowing the average winning margin of 1,272 votes. Jobat constituency stood out with the highest NOTA vote share at 2.8 per cent, coinciding with the lowest voter turnout, underscoring the electorate's reserved judgment.
Among the notable candidates, former Chief Minister of the state five times MLA Kamal Nath won by a tiny margin of just 890 votes which is just half of 1,683 NOTA votes, signifying a silent yet strong voter sentiment.
Chhattisgarh: Wafer Thin Margins
Chhattisgarh presented a nuanced tale where in 8 assembly seats, where NOTA votes exceeded the victory margins. Meanwhile, seats like Ambikapur and Kanker where margin of votes stood at 16 and 94, NOTA votes exceeded the number by 38x times, i.e. 2,729 and 2,168 respectively. The state's average margin of winning stood at 1,149 votes while the average NOTA votes stood three times more i.e. 3,164.
TS Deo Singh, former deputy chief minister of the state lost to BJP by a mere 94 votes from Ambikapur constituency, while NOTA tallied an impactful 2,168 votes. The region's political pulse was perhaps best measured in the Dantewada seat, where NOTA votes were the highest across the four states at 6.4 per cent.
Telangana: The Subtle Impact of NOTA
Telangana's political landscape saw NOTA's subtle yet significant presence in two constituencies. The BRS secured Chevella by a margin of 268 votes, with NOTA votes numbering 1,432, potentially altering the result had the NOTA option not been available. In Devarkadra, the margin was 1,392 votes, closely followed by 1,706 NOTA votes.
The Declining Trend
Interestingly, despite its capacity to alter election results, NOTA's overall vote share has seen a decline. From 1.41 per cent in the 2018 polls to 0.97 per cent in the recent elections, the drop indicates a shift towards more decisive voting or perhaps voter education about NOTA's implications.