[SASproject]

On a lighter note, imagine if you form a party with the name 'None of the Above'. A way to win without any spending!

Sorry if I am interrupting a serious conversation.

[vivekiny2k]

so in general, you can give up your right to vote. A politician's dream come true.

[Gansan]

^^ This is a small victory and a small step forward. We will have to wait for a day when in any constituency, NOTA polls more votes than all the other candidates put together!

Then perhaps one can go to the courts with a PIL to set aside the election.

[RSR]

This is a fantastic judgement and another small step in cleaning up the sewer called Indian politics. I'm waiting to see if the vested interests also make a mockery of this SC judgement, just like they are doing with the one on criminals who got elected.

I know, this NOTA option on EVMs is meaningless until a fresh election with fresh candidates becomes mandatory if NOTA gets the maximum votes. But look at it this way. With fed up people now getting an option to register their protest (49-O was impractical, cumbersome and most importantly, lacked secrecy), it is only a matter of time until NOTA bags the maximum votes in some constituency or the other. That should set off another debate and public interest litigations on the issue. I can only hope another democracy-friendly judgement from the hon'ble SC at that time takes NOTA towards its logical conclusion.

I also hope the ECI puts in place a verifiable vote confirmation mechanism on EVMs in time for the upcoming state elections.

All those who care about the direction in which the country is heading must keep a close watch on how vested interests are trying to make a mockery of the rare democracy friendly rulings from the SC.

Edit: I posted this and saw your post above mine. You just took the words out of my mouth, Gansan!

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^ This is a small victory and a small step forward. We will have to wait for a day when in any constituency, NOTA polls more votes than all the other candidates put together!

Then perhaps one can go to the courts with a PIL to set aside the election.

[pratyush6]

I was really excited with this piece of news but after understanding the real implications (none really - at least now) I am rather disappointed.

I believe SC is the only institution which even 'thinks' about the common man whereas the job has been allocated to the political parties.

As quite a few people have suggested that NOTA may not help us right now but somewhere down the line it might spur another directive which makes it stronger is the only hope we have. However for that to work most of the educated lot need to vote (which they dont). It's a shame to see developed areas vote lesser than underdeveloped areas.

On the other hand voting for a candidate might be better than NOTA, only if you can find one.

[sgiitk]

As TSR Subramaniam put it on the box, let us take this as the Alpha (and not Omega) of electoral reforms.

[srishiva]

I see so much excitement among people to use this button ! Need to wait until national elections to see how people will make use of it.

[alpha1]

Mods can we please change the title.
WE have not got any right to REJECT. The N.O.T.A = right to abstain.

As it is currently, I don't see any real advantage to it.

[wanderernomad]

Me neither. What about the cost of holding the election for that particular constituency of polling booth again? Moreover, say 90% abstain but 10% still vote, the candidate makes it through. How ironical would that be?

[avisidhu]

There are two major advantanges of NOTA, nowithstanding the fact that it doesn't seem to impact the poll outcome prima facie:

Firstly, if a significant number of NOTA votes are polled, it will force parties to think about how to capture this particular votebank, since they will realise that people are willing to come out and vote, it's the choice of candidates which is the impediment. If (relatively) clean candidates is the answer, they will begin exploring that option.

Secondly, you just made sure no one did proxy voting in your place, so at least your vote did not end up serving the cause of some corrupt or criminal politician.

One point to be noted here is that if NOTA is exercised by a minisculine minority, the political parties will realise that a significant portion of population is simply not interested in the electoral process, and they subsequently will become even more brazen and shameless in their tactics.

[sgiitk]

Read a new twist. Extremists may force voters to choose NOTA to show rejection of the process.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Read a new twist. Extremists may force voters to choose NOTA to show rejection of the process.

I'm not exactly sure of the intentions of the author whose article you read the twist in. He/she could be representing the vested interests who don't want this secret ballot option becoming available to voters. Having realised how popular the option may become among the the voters, what better way to prevent it than indulge in fake scare-mongering?

I don't see how extremists (of any kind) can force voters to vote for their choice, in a free and fair election held by secret ballot. The election commission's stringent monitoring has already greatly reduced instances of goons forcing voters to vote for their candidates (bribery, inducements etc. may take place but forced voting for a particular candidate has come down drastically in elections supervised by the ECI in recent times). In the instances where booth capturing and forced voting by the criminals does take place, voting is cancelled and re-polling is held.

The vested interests will surely indulge in more scare-mongering to continue their crooked ways. If the people of constituencies in certain areas reject all candidates of their own free will (by voting for NOTA) to show their rejection of the election process, then so be it! It will only expose what a meaningless and fake democracy they have been living in for so long.

We cannot have double standards for different sections of the population. NOTA as a secret voting option must become mandatory in every election in every constituency that is conducted by the ECI. We cannot have NOTA only for the literate, urban voters in large cities who despise the candidates fielded and deny the same right to those in areas where "Maoists", "extremists", "separatists" or whatever "-ists" have influence.