Why Over 2 Lakh Voters Chose NOTA In Indore?

As the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 is underway, NOTA (None of the Above), the option for voters to express their displeasure with all candidates, has received approximately 2 lakh votes in Indore, according to Election Commission (EC) data.

The EC reported that the vote share for NOTA was around 1.62 percent. Meanwhile, the BJP secured around 60 percent.

This is not the first notable occurrence of NOTA. In 2019, Indore saw a 69.31 percent voter turnout, with 5,045 voters choosing NOTA.

In an unprecedented move, Congress initiated a campaign urging voters to choose NOTA after its candidate, Akshay Kanti Bam, withdrew his nomination from the Lok Sabha elections at the last moment on April 29, leaving the party no time to field an alternative candidate.

According to current rules, if NOTA receives the highest number of votes in a constituency, the candidate with the second-highest votes is declared the winner. Therefore, even if NOTA surpasses BJP candidate Shankar Lalwani in Indore, Lalwani would still become the Lok Sabha MP.

The Congress, according to its leaders, has entered this battle for a symbolic victory, determined not to give up without a fight.

BJP's Lalwani is the sitting MP from Indore, having won the seat by a margin of 5.4 lakh votes in 2019.