The EC introduced the NOTA option for the first time in the 2013 Assembly elections of Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. In 2014, the EC introduced the option in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha elections. The NOTA symbol is placed at the end of the list of all candidates on the EVM. It is not a negative vote, but a neutral one that records a voter’s rejection of candidates. It does not hold any value in the final tally.
The Supreme Court of India directed the Election Commission of India (EC) to make a provision for none of the above button or NOTA in electronic voting machines (EVMs)/ ballot papers. The judgment stated that not allowing a person to cast a vote negatively “defeats the very freedom of expression and the right ensured in Article 21 i.e., the right to liberty.” The court also held the view that introducing the NOTA option would encourage larger voter participation and compel political parties to nominate a sound candidate, while protecting the voter’s right to secrecy while casting his/her ballot.
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The EC introduced the NOTA option for the first time in the 2013 Assembly elections of Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. In 2014, the EC introduced the option in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha elections. The NOTA symbol is placed at the end of the list of all candidates on the EVM. It is not a negative vote, but a neutral one that records a voter’s rejection of candidates. It does not hold any value in the final tally. The Supreme Court of India directed the Election Commission of India (EC) to make a provision for none of the above button or NOTA in electronic voting machines (EVMs)/ ballot papers. The judgment stated that not allowing a person to cast a vote negatively “defeats the very freedom of expression and the right ensured in Article 21 i.e., the right to liberty.” The court also held the view that introducing the NOTA option would encourage larger voter participation and compel political parties to nominate a sound candidate, while protecting the voter’s right to secrecy while casting his/her ballot.
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