NEW DELHI: Just over seven lakhs of voters in Bihar used the option “none of the above” or NOTE in the assembly elections, according to the Election Commission. The Nitish Kumar-led NDA returned to power in Bihar on Wednesday with a slim majority.
The ruling coalition won 125 seats in the 243-member state assembly against 110 secured by the opposition Grand Alliance to pave the way for Kumar’s fourth consecutive term in office.
According to figures released by the EC, 7.06,252 people or 1.7 percent of voters chose the option according to which they preferred not to vote for any candidate in exercise of their democratic right.
More than 4 crore of votes were voted in the three-phase elections. Of the nearly 7.3 million voters, 57.09 percent had cast votes at the polls.
The ‘NOTE’ option on electronic voting machines, introduced in 2013, has its own symbol: a ballot with a black cross.
Following the Supreme Court order in September 2013, the EC added the NOTE button on EVMs as the last option on the voting panel.
Before the supreme court order, those who were unwilling to vote for any candidate had the option of filling out what is popularly called ‘Form 49-O’.
But filling out the form at the polling station under Rule 49-O of the Rules of Conduct for Elections, 1961, compromised voter secrecy.
However, the Supreme Court had refused to order the EC to hold new votes if the majority of the electorate exercises the NOTE option while voting.
There were several seats in Bihar where the NOTE option obtained more votes than the winning margin of candidates.
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