MADURAI: In the last Lok Sabha election, The Nilgiris, a reserved constituency, in the State had recorded the highest number of votes to NOTA. As many as 46,559 voters voiced their dissatisfaction with the candidates, who contested in the Queen of Hills.
On September 27, 2013, the constitutional bench headed by the then chief justice P Sathasivam and comprising justices Ranjana Prakash Desai, Ranjan Gogoi held that "A voter may refrain from voting at an election for several reasons, including the reason that he does not consider any of the candidates worthy of his vote. One of the ways to express such opinion is staying away from the polling booths, but this is not an ideal option for a conscientious and responsible citizen. Thus, the only way by which it can be made effectual is by providing a button in the EVMs to express that right. This is the basic requirement if the lasting values in a healthy democracy have to be sustained, which the Election Commission has not only recognised but has also asserted."
It is essential to look back whether the purpose of NOTA was served?
In the existing system a dissatisfied voter usually does not turn up for voting which in turn provides a chance to impersonate that person and cast a vote thus defying the actual purpose of NOTA.
In 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, the first three places where NOTA option was recorded is in the reserve constituencies. The Niligiris secured first place in NOTA all over the country, the second and third places were secured by Sriperumbudar (27,676 votes) and Tiruvallur (23,598 votes).
The apex court which allowed the NOTA symbol in the EVM machines had also observed that "For democracy to survive, it is essential that the best available men should be chosen as people’s representatives for proper governance of the country." Furthermore, the Supreme Court also considered NOTA as a provision of negative voting that would be in the interest of promoting democracy and would send clear signals to political parties and their candidates as to what the electorate think about them.
However, there is no motivation for the voters to go to the polling booth and reject all the candidates, as it would have the same effect of not going to the polling station at all. Thus, unless there is any legal consequences, the NOTA would remain as a mere 'button' in the Voting Machines, with hardly any major impact on the voters as well as the candidates.
Candidates least bothered by NOTA?
If one raising the question that did the political parties acknowledged the NOTA, the answer would be 'No'. Most of the political parties had fielded the same candidates in the constituencies, where over 15,000 voters had opted for NOTA in the past election.
In The Niligiris, which recorded the highest number of NOTA in the Country, in the previous elections, DMK had again fielded A Raja. AMMK fielded Sarubala Thondaiman as it candidate, who contested on behalf of Congress in the previous election in Tiruchy. It recorded the fourth highest number of NOTA votes in the State in the last Lok Sabha elections. Further J Jayavardhan from AIADMK had been again fielded in Chennai South Constituency, where 20,402 voters called for NOTA. BJP had given seat to C P Radhakrishnan again in Coimbatore constituency, when 17,428 voters opted for NOTA in 2014 general elections.
Thus, the ultimate justification made by the Apex Court "it is essential that people of high moral and ethical values are chosen as people's representatives for proper governance of the country, and NOTA button can compel political parties to nominate a sound candidate" is on thin ice. Apart from the political parties, a sect of voters by rejecting all the candidates, including the independents, without observing the quality of candidates, had questioned the authenticity of the choice made by rest of the voters who voted for candidates.
In the last election, a campaign to vote for NOTA was spearheaded and voting to NOTA was seen as a matter of fancy among the first timers and young voters. According to a survey by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections all over the country, most number of NOTA votes were casted by the upper caste voters than any other caste or minority group. According to the survey, 2.5 per cent upper caste voters opted for NOTA in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In the seven reserved constituencies of Tamil Nadu, 1,51,565 voters chose the virtual candidate, NOTA.
2014 Lok Sabha - NOTA votes in Reserved (SC) Constituencies
Nilgiris NOTA 46559
Sriperumbudar NOTA 27676
Tiruvallur NOTA 23598
Nagapattinam NOTA 15662
Thenikasi NOTA 14492
Chidambaram NOTA 12138
Villupuram NOTA 11440
2014 Lok Sabha - NOTA votes in South Tamil Nadu
Madurai NOTA 19866
Thenkasi NOTA 14492
Tirunelveli NOTA 12893
Virudhunagar NOTA 12225
Thoothukudi NOTA 11447
Dindigul NOTA 10591
Theni NOTA 10312
Sivaganaga NOTA 8042
Ramand NOTA 6279
Kanniyakumari NOTA 4150
2014 Lok Sabha - NOTA votes in West Tamil Nadu
Nilgiris NOTA 46559
Salem NOTA 20601
Coimbatore NOTA 17428
Erode NOTA 16268
Krishnagiri NOTA 16020
Tiruppur NOTA 13941
Pollachi NOTA 12947
Dharmapuri NOTA 12693
2014 Lok Sabha - NOTA votes in Central Tamil Nadu
Tiruchirappalli NOTA 22848
Namakkal NOTA 16002
Nagapattinam NOTA 15662
Karur NOTA 13763
Mayiladuthurai NOTA 13181
Thanjavur NOTA 12218
Chidambaram NOTA 12138
Perambalur NOTA 11605
Cuddalore NOTA 10338
2014 Lok Sabha - NOTA votes in North Tamil Nadu
Sriperumbudar NOTA 27676
Tiruvallur NOTA 23598
Kancheepuram NOTA 17736
Villupuram NOTA 11440
Kallakurichi NOTA 10901
Arakkonam NOTA 10370
Trivannamalai NOTA 9595
Arani NOTA 9304
Vellore NOTA 7100
2014 Lok Sabha - NOTA votes in Chennai
Chennai Central NOTA 21959
Chennai South NOTA 20402
Chennai North NOTA 17472