Lok Sabha elections: Bihar leads among key states in NOTA votes as 2% voters reject all candidates

Bihar, which sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha, saw 2.07% of all votes go to NOTA, the highest among major states.

The Lok Sabha election 2024 saw about one percent of voters pressing the NOTA (None of the Above) button on the electronic voting machines (EVMs). The highest NOTA votes were cast in Bihar.

Each EVM can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates (including NOTA) with a provision for 16 candidates in one ballot unit. If the total number of candidates exceeds 16, a second balloting unit can be linked in series to the first unit. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The NOTA button was introduced in October 2013, pursuant to the Supreme Court’s order on September 27, 2013. The objective of this option was to enable voters who do not wish to vote for any candidate to exercise their right without violating the secrecy of their decision.

Bihar, which sends 40 members to the lower house (Lok Sabha) of Parliament, registered 2.07% of the NOTA votes among the major states in India. This was followed by Madhya Pradesh, where 1.41% of NOTA votes were cast.

Indore, one of the 29 parliamentary segments in the state, alone registered 218,674 NOTA votes. The Congress party actively campaigned for NOTA among the people after its candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination from the polls held on April 29 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Similarly, in Odisha, where the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was decimated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, 1.3% of NOTA votes were registered. Of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP candidates emerged victorious in 20 seats, while the Congress managed to secure one seat.

The Lok Sabha polls for 543 seats were held in seven phases starting from April 19, with the last phase on June 1. The Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking a rare third term at the Centre with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.