Over 1.78 lakh voters exercise 'NOTA' option in Assam LS polls

Altogether 1,78,353 voters exercised the 'None of The Above' option in the Assam Lok Sabha polls, which is 31,296 more than the NOTA figure in the last elections.

The NOTA percentage accounted for 0.99 per cent of the total 1,79,86,066 electorate, with Dibrugarh accounting for the highest and Karimganj (SC) the least votes under this category, according to the Election Commission.

Dibrugarh recorded the highest of 21,288 NOTA, followed by Mangaldoi with 18,518, Kokrajhar with 15,988, Kaliabor with 15,913, Tezpur 15,626, Lakhimpur 15,220, Jorhat 12,569, Nowgong 10,757 and Gauahati with 10,466.

The figures include the postal ballots, too, where Kokrajhar recorded the highest with 121, followed by Barpeta with 86, Kaliabor with 68, Dibrugarh with 48, Tezpur with 38, Autonomous District with 34. Both Jorhat and Lakhimpur recorded 33 each.

Gauhati recorded 24 NOTAs through postal ballots, Mangaldoi 23, Silchar 22, Nowgong 20, Dhubri 15 and the lowest seven in Karimganj.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, a total of 1,47,057 electorate, accounting for less than one per cent of the total votes polled, exercised NOTA.