Mumbai: More than one lakh voters in Mumbai chose to reject all candidates by opting for the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option in the recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, reflecting a note of voter discontent amid the high-stakes civic polls.
According to data released by the Election Commission, a total of 1,00,327 voters pressed NOTA out of 54,76,043 votes polled on January 15. The overall voter turnout stood at 52.94 per cent, with NOTA accounting for 1.83 per cent of the total votes cast across the city.
Western Suburbs See Highest Percentage Of NOTA Voters
The western suburbs recorded both the highest number and percentage of NOTA votes. From Dahisar to Bandra, 47,936 voters opted for NOTA, constituting 1.9 per cent of the votes polled in that belt. Notably, this region also witnessed the highest voter turnout in the city, with ward 18 in Borivali recording a turnout of 62.04 per cent, followed by ward 4 in Dahisar at 60.67 per cent, reported Mid-day, citing the EC data.
In the eastern suburbs, spanning Bhandup to Sion, 29,101 voters selected NOTA, making up 1.7 per cent of the total votes polled in that zone. Meanwhile, 23,290 NOTA votes were recorded in areas covering Colaba, Mahim and Matunga, accounting for 1.8 per cent of the votes there.
South Mumbai saw a notable concentration of NOTA votes in ward 226, which recorded the highest number in the region at 1,404 votes. This amounted to 5.1 per cent of the total votes polled in the ward, where the overall turnout stood at 50 per cent, according to the report.
When Did NOTA Come Into Effect?
The NOTA option was introduced by the Election Commission of India following a Supreme Court directive in September 2013 and has been available on EVMs since October 11 that year. The option allows voters who do not wish to support any candidate to exercise their franchise without compromising the secrecy of their choice.
Men’s Rights Group Calls For NOTA Vote Over Gender-Neutral Laws
The spike in NOTA votes this time was also driven by organised protest voting. Vaastav Foundation, an organisation advocating gender-neutral laws, had announced ahead of polling that its members would vote for NOTA to register their dissatisfaction with political parties. Founder member Amit Deshpande said the group had approached multiple political parties with their demands but received no response.
“We have repeatedly raised concerns related to men’s issues and the misuse of laws, but no political party has shown willingness to engage. Voting NOTA is our way of protesting this indifference,” Deshpande said.
The organisation cited its own study, conducted with academic assistance, which found that marital and family disputes accounted for 24 per cent of suicides among married men in India. NCRB data also shows that men constituted 72.5 per cent of all suicides in 2021, with marriage-related reasons affecting men and women at nearly equal rates.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
