NOTA

NOTA refers to 'None Of The Above' option in EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), which we are going to witness from the forthcoming general elections in five states thanks to Supreme Court of India's recent judgement. It will unleash the true power of democracy and give the ultimate power to people.

All of us have studied (in theory), that in India (of course true for any democracy), the government is of the people, by the people and for the people. I am not going to remain unrealistic by saying that it is being governed in practise too. A unique feature of such a democracy where people are of highest importance is the "Right to Vote" (Universal Adult Franchise). People have the right to choose a representative, a government which will govern them for the next 5 years( with the exception of J&K where it is a 6-year term). However, often when people are confronted with a limited set of candidates to choose from, during elections, they are indeed forced to choose the least worst candidate. A person who has been declared a winner is not endorsed by all the people( need not even be endorsed by more than half, thanks to First-past-the-post system being followed in India). Not only admiration towards a particular candidate, but also hatred towards an opposite contestant can decide the winner in such a scenario. So, the question here is by limiting the choice of people, Are we allowing them the full power in choosing their representative? Will that not be a pseudo-democracy?

This question has been in the mind of many stalwarts for a long time. Even the Election Commission (EC) of India has been considering this for quite sometime, but it does not have the executive or legal power to tackle this. Many NGOs have been fighting for an alternative called NOTA (None Of The Above), where people can say that they are not interested in any of the candidates that are in election fray. The recent supreme court's verdict and EC's will to comply immediately with it are landmark in a way that it rests much power with people in regard to choosing a representative.

A quick fact: Most of us are unaware that under Rule-49 of conduct of election rules, we may decide not to choose any of the candidates in fray but can cast vote so that our vote is counted in voting percentage currently. However, under current system such a voter has to tell about his decision to booth officer and then record his/her signature in form 17-A, thus making his identity public. NOTA option does away with this and it gives much needed anonymity apart from other possibilities such as making all candidates ineligible.

Pros: 

1) It gives true democratic character where people can say no to all candidates in election fray

2) It will create interest among those not utilising their right to vote having vexed with the political system and looking at all sorts of criminals being promoted by major political parties as their candidates

3) This can create a sense of responsibility among all major parties while deciding their candidates leading to a systemic change

What it may not do: 

The decreasing voting percentage in India can not be wholly attributed to perception towards current political system. It has a lot to do with other factors such as inherent laziness, staying away from constituency for job etc., So, we may not see the sudden upsurge in the voting percentage and people thronging the voting booths to cast their vote. ( Is "Compulsory Voting" an alternative? Well, much debate is needed on this.)

More clarity is needed on:

1) Whether an election will be recalled, if the percentage of votes polled for NOTA option is the highest or is the NOTA vote treated invalid( as practiced in some parts of USA) ?

2) Whether EC will implement a threshold on voting percentage (say 33%) to decide on whether to re-conduct the elections?

2) How many iterations of elections will be conducted if there are constant votes of >threshold or majority share for NOTA option?

Though the picture is slightly grayed currently (which will become clear in December when 5 Indian states go for elections), a step in that direction to reform election system and to decriminalize politics is commendable matter and it increases the hope of aam-aadmi(common man) and makes his dream of seeing an effective governance a near( little fuzzy on near definition here though) reality.

JAI HIND!