Karnataka polls 2023: Over 2.6 lakh voters opted for NOTA

Congress has won the Karnataka elections 2023 and is all set to form the new government in the state. Amid this the Election Commission of India informed that more than 2.6 lakh voters who exercised their franchise in 10 May assembly polls used the ’none of the above’ or NOTA option. As per the data available on ECI’s website, Congress has won 118 of the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka and is leading on other 18, while the BJP has won 53 and is ahead in 11. The Janata Dal (Secular) has secured win in 18 and is leading in two. As per the ECI, around 3.30 pm on the day of Karnataka polls 2023 (on 10 May), 2,59,278 (0.7 per cent) out of the nearly 3.84 crore people who came out to vote exercised the NOTA option. The NOTA option on electronic voting machines (EVMs) was introduced in 2013 and it has its own symbol – a ballot paper with a black cross on it. After a Supreme Court order in September 2013, the ECI had added the NOTA button on EVMs as the last option on the voting panel. Prior to the court’s order, those not inclined to vote for any candidate had the option of registering their decision under Rule 49-O (elector deciding not to vote) of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. But this compromised the secrecy of the voter. The NOTA button on an EVM ensures secrecy of ballot. The Supreme Court had, however, refused to direct the Election Commission to hold fresh polls if the majority of the electorate exercises the NOTA option while voting. The NOTA symbol was designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, for the poll panel. PTI NAB NAB ANB ANB

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