What is NOTA (None of the Above)?

About NOTA (None of the Above)

• It is a voting option on the ballot that allows voters to indicate disapproval of all contesting candidates without choosing any of them.
• NOTA empowers the electors to express their negative opinions and a lack of support for the contenders.
• It gives them the right to reject while maintaining the secrecy of their decision.
• When was it first used?
  • NOTA was used for the first time in the 2013 Assembly elections in five states-Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh-and later in the 2014 General Elections.
  • It was introduced into the electoral process following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL versus Union of India case.
• Does NOTA Vote Count?
  • The Election Commission clarified that votes cast as NOTA are counted, but are considered ‘invalid votes’.
  • Even if NOTA votes get the most number of votes in a constituency, the next candidate with the second-most number of votes is declared the winner.
  • Therefore, votes made to NOTA do not change the outcome of an election.

Current Petition: The Supreme Court is considering a petition to frame guidelines for elections to be declared "null and void" if NOTA receives the highest number of votes in the constituency.

Q.1 What is a VVPAT?

A Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is a system that provides a paper record of each vote cast, allowing voters to verify their selections and ensuring transparency and accountability in the electoral process.