Bihar leads majority of states in NOTA, with 2% of voters rejecting every candidate
Bihar, a major state in India, which sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha (Member of Parliament), registered 2.07% of NOTA votes
Among the major states, Bihar, which has 40 MPs in the Lok Sabha, had the greatest percentage of votes (2.07%) going to NOTA. Madhya Pradesh followed closely with 1.41% of votes cast.
In the Indore parliamentary segment of Madhya Pradesh, a staggering 218,674 voters chose NOTA. Interestingly, the Congress party actively promoted NOTA after its candidate, Akshay Kanti Bam, withdrew from the polls and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
NOTA: A Choice for Voter Dissatisfaction
The winning candidate in the Indore constituency, Shankar Lalwani, a BJP leader, secured victory with 1,226,751 votes. Tamil Nadu, where the BJP aimed to make inroads through rallies and roadshows led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also witnessed 1.06% votes.
Similarly, in Odisha, where the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) faced defeat by the BJP, 1.3% of NOTA votes were recorded. Out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, the BJP won 20, while the Congress secured one seat.
The Lok Sabha elections, spanning 543 seats, took place in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The Bharatiya Janata Party sought an unprecedented third term at the Centre, with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.
The “None Of The Above” option was introduced in October 2013 following a Supreme Court order on September 27, 2013. Its purpose is to allow voters who do not wish to vote for any candidate to express their choice without compromising the secrecy of their decision.
You might also be interested in – India sets world record with over 64 crore voters participating in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections
