Less takers for NOTA in Delhi Assembly polls

The newly introduced 'None of the Above Option' was barely opted by voters in Delhi Assembly polls, for which the results were declared today.
For the first time, the Election Commission had provided NOTA option button in EVMs for voters who did not wish to vote for any of the candidates in poll fray.
In East Delhi, Lakshmi Nagar recorded the lowest number of NOTA votes at 129 closely followed by Okhla at 251.
The highest number of NOTA votes were polled at Gokuplur in East Delhi at 1,338 followed by Vikaspuri at 1,318.
The constituencies which crossed the 1,000 above mark of NOTA votes included Bawana (1,217), Nangloi (1,171), Uttam Nagar (1,041), Sultanpur Majra (1,232).

While the lowest number of NOTA votes were polled in Ballimaran (385), Matia Mahal (289), Sangam Vihar (298), Kirari (412), Chandni Chowk (493), Delhi Cantt (478), Malviya Nagar (375).

The New Delhi constituency from where debutante AAP's Arvind Kejriwal defeated three-time Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, recorded only 460 NOTA votes.
The Supreme Court had given the path-breaking verdict this September, holding that voters have a Right to Reject all candidates contesting polls in a constituency by exercising the NOTA option.
Following the court order, the Election Commission had introduced the option in poll-bound states of Mizoram, Delhi Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

However, the apex court had refused to direct the Election Commission to hold fresh polls in case the majority of the electorate exercises NOTA.
The verdict, which was likely to encourage people to go to polling booths to express disapproval against contestants, and accelerate the effective political participation in the present state of democratic system did not evoke much response from Delhi voters.
The Delhi Assembly elections which were held on December 4 saw a record turn out of an estimated 80 lakh out of the 1.19 crore eligible voters that sealed the fate of 810 candidates for the 70-member assembly.