With 30 seats contested, why AAP failed to get any in Gujarat elections ?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 results for which were announced on Monday, December 18. But the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did not win any seats in the Gujarat Assembly elections though it contested from 30 seats, according to an election result analysis by IANS.

Meanwhile, the total votes polled for AAP candidates across constituencies was 28,418 while people used None of The Above (NOTA) 75,880 times in these seats.

Gujarat AAP spokesperson Harshil Nayak while speaking to the news agency said that the major reasons for the defeat of their candidates include party's late decision to contest the elections and absence of the AAP central leadership during the campaign.

"There was confusion over whether to contest the election or not and we decided very late to fight the election, which affected us," Nayak said.

The saffron party, which has ruled for 22 years in the state, comfortably won 99 seats but which is less than what it had won in 2012 (115). On the other hand, the Congress improved its position by winning 80 seats. But what's more interesting in this year election was that the None of The Above (NOTA) garnered 1.8 percent.

According to the real-time data released by the Election Commission of India, a total number of 5,50,607 voters chose not to vote for any of the party during the elections.

NOTA was introduced by the election commission of India on October 11, 2013, following a supreme court order on September 27.

The NOTA is an option in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and by registering a vote under NOTA, a voter can express his/ her rejection of all candidates contesting the election from any given constituency.

Ever since it was introduced, NOTA saw a steadily unexpected acceptance in India's multi-party democracy. In Chhattisgarh, it was 3.06 percent (4,01,058); in Rajasthan, it was 1.91 percent (5,89,923), in Madhya Pradesh, it was 1.9 percent (8,945), in Delhi, it was 0.63 percent (49,884). Punjab, it was 0.7 percent (65,151), and 0.87 percent Uttar Pradesh - 3,29,113.

OneIndia News (with inputs)