To my mind the Supreme Court is now about to give teeth to the NOTA option by encouraging a PIL to get a ruling that a majority of NOTA votes will cancel all the candidates for that election.
This is a great chance at last for Goa voters to show their displeasure of the expected-to-win candidate against whom they had limited options. They would be fools not to exercise it. From the Times Of India. Should voters have right to reject candidates, SC asks Centre, EC The question: Eight years after giving voters the 'none of the above' (NOTA) option in elections, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and the Election Commission whether it would be legally permissible to reject all candidates in the fray if NOTA votes exceeded that of the candidate securing the highest number of votes. The matter: The apex court agreed to entertain a PIL in which the petitioners have claimed that though NOTA was an option for voters, it didn't appear to have prodded political parties to select "good candidates" sans criminal antecedents as the number of NOTA votes had no impact on the outcome of elections. The apex court, however said, such a move could cause disruptions in formation of Parliament and assemblies after elections. The option: NOTA as an option was introduced in EVMs on the basis of a 2013 SC judgment. Before NOTA, if a voter decided not to vote for any candidate, she had to inform the presiding officer of her decision. The SC ruled that this went against the freedom of expression and the secrecy of voting. The limit: On October 29, 2013, the EC had issued a circular saying in the event of NOTA getting votes which exceed the number of votes polled by any candidate, then the one with the highest number of positive votes would be declared winner. This meant that even if NOTA got a majority of votes cast in an election, it would have no impact on the outcome of the poll. It still matters: NOTA is a tool of political dissent to express disillusionment with the ruling party. It also tells the opposition that for the NOTA voter there is no worthwhile alternative candidate or party to turn to. The 'no vote' is also about participating in the electoral process instead of just sitting out of it. That your voting helps cut down bogus voting is also a bonus. Roland Francis 416-453-3371
