NOTA numbers drop

Team Udayavani, May 25, 2019, 4:43 PM IST

Udupi: During the initial stages of Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha election, None Of The Above (NOTA) campaign had been started against the contesting candidates and a huge number of NOTA votes were expected. But this times election has registered lesser number of NOTA votes in comparison to the previous Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Even though NOTA campaign was rampant on social media, voters have not fallen for it. During the 2014 elections, there were 7,828 NOTA votes. 2018 election registered 9,399 NOTA votes.

In comparison to the 2014election, there was a rise in NOTA votes during the 2018 Legislative Assembly elections. But this time, it has reduced. The total NOTA votes registered this time in 7,510 including 1,258 from Kundapur, 930 from Udupi, 760 from Kaup, 873 from Karkala, 853 from Shringeri, 1,059 from Mudigere, 960 from Chikkamagaluru and 809 from Tarikere Legislative Assembly constituencies. This time there is a drop of 310 NOTA votes in comparison to the last time.

NOTA implemented since 2013

NOTA option was used for the first time in the Legislative Assembly elections held in 5 states in 2013. Later, NOTA option was used for the first time in Karnataka during the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The option was also used during the 2018 Legislative Assembly elections. Around 0.8% of the voters in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency have opted for NOTA option.