NOTA Creates Record In MP's Indore Lok Sabha Seat

NOTA created a record with 2.18 lakh voters in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore opting for the ‘none of the above’ option in the Lok Sabha elections, counting for which is underway on Tuesday. Of the total voters, 14.01 per cent opted for ‘None of the Above’, introduced in 2013 following a Supreme Court order.

About NOTA

Since 2013, the majority of Indian elections have offered voters the option to select None of the Above, or NOTA. A citizen has the option to abstain from voting for any of the candidates running in the elections by indicating that they prefer none of the following. The Election Commission of India was ordered by the Supreme Court of India to incorporate NOTA in elections for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies in the 2013 ruling in PUCL v. Union of India. The 2013 legislative assembly elections that took place in four states- Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh as well as the union territory of Delhi marked the first usage of the NOTA option.

MP’s Indore Lok Sabha Seat

More than 2 lakh votes were cast for NOTA in the Indore Lok Sabha (2024) constituency, setting a record. With 12,26,751 votes, the candidate won by a whopping margin of 10.09 lakh in Indore. Due to an abrupt withdrawal of opposition, NOTA, his closest rival, received 2,18,674 votes, or 16.28 percent of the total. This creates two records: the 2.18 lakh greatest number of NOTAs in any Lok Sabha Election, and an 11.75 lakh win margin if NOTAs are excluded due to other candidates receiving only 51659 votes.