What is NOTA (None of the Above)?

About NOTA (None of the Above):

• It is a ballot option that a voter can choose to apply for instead of giving their vote to any of the contesting candidates.
• It empowers the electors to express their negative opinions and a lack of support for the contenders. It gives them the right to reject while maintaining the secrecy of their decision.
• When was it first used?
  • It was used for the first time in the 2013 Assembly elections in five states-Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh-and later in the 2014 General Elections.
  • It was introduced into the electoral process following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL versus Union of India case.
• How does a person cast a NOTA vote?
  • The NOTA option in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is given at the bottom of the candidates' list.
  • Earlier, in order to cast a negative ballot, a voter had to inform the presiding officer at the polling booth. Now the voter has just to press the NOTA option on the EVM.
• Does NOTA Vote Count?
  • The Election Commission clarified that votes cast as NOTA are counted, but are considered ‘invalid votes’.
  • Even if NOTA votes get the most number of votes in a constituency, the next candidate with the second-most number of votes is declared the winner.
  • Therefore, votes made to NOTA will not change the outcome of the election.