The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has alleged that voters were being “paid” for opting for NOTA, or ‘none of the above’ option for the Andheri bypoll, for which voting began on Thursday. A senior election official soon declared that it would be “illegal” for any party or candidate to run such a “NOTA campaign”, especially since the campaign for the by-election had ended.
But, with BJP withdrawing its candidate, will NOTA play poorly in the Andheri bypoll? Thackeray Sena candidate Rutuja Latte, widow of late MLA Ramesh Latte, has a smooth road ahead, but will she be able to win the full confidence of voters?
What are the allegations against the Thackeray-led army?
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction leader Anil Parab had alleged that some rivals of the party’s candidate for the Andheri bypoll Rutuja Latte were asking voters to press the NOTA button. The party on Tuesday alleged that voters were being paid to opt for NOTA on the day of voting.
Parab said the party had taken up the issue with him Election Commission and also the police. He said it will have an impact in the coming BMC elections as well, as for the first time it will see the combined strength of the MVA allies (Thackeray-led Sena, NCP and Congress).
“Some people are being given money to opt for NOTA,” the former Maharashtra minister alleged. His party has video clips showing alleged Republican Party activists India (RPI) is involved in such acts, he said. The RPI (Athawale faction) is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The Thackeray Sena has fielded Rutuja Latte, wife of sitting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latte, whose death led to the elections. The BJP fielded Murji Patel, who later withdrew his candidature after the party decided not to contest.
“On one hand, the BJP withdrew its candidate saying that it respects the tradition of not fielding candidates against family members of deceased MPs. On the other hand, people are being asked to vote for NOTA,” Parab said.
However, Parab said that he was confident that Latte would get 98 to 99 per cent of the votes and would complete the tasks which were left unfinished due to the death of her husband.
What did the Election Commission say?
Soon after Parab’s allegations surfaced, the Election Commission of India on Wednesday said it would be illegal for any party or candidate to ask people to use the NOTA option, especially after the election campaign is over. Campaigning for the bypoll ended at 5 pm on Tuesday.
Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer Shrikant Deshpande said that since the campaigning for the bypolls is officially over, a candidate or a political party that asks people to use NOTA will be considered part of the election campaign.
When asked about Parab’s claims and Thackeray Sena’s claims, Deshpande said, “If any candidate or political party asks people to use NOTA, it will be treated as a campaign, and it will be illegal.” (The campaigning for the by-election has officially ended).” Allegations on “NOTA Campaign”.
He said: “If any third party or person asks voters to opt for NOTA, it will not be considered as a campaign.”
Deshpande further said that the Election Commission will take action only after considering complaints against a candidate or party asking people to use NOTA after the election campaign is over.
What is NOTA?
In September 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the right of voters to reject all candidates in an electoral contest by introducing the NOTA, or ‘none of the above’ option. Simply put as the voter’s ‘right to refuse’, NOTA is an option for people on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or ballots whether they want to choose another political party or not.
Earlier, if any voter wanted to exercise the option of opting out, they had to inform the Presiding Officer at the polling station. This, in a way, violates an individual’s right to privacy which is an integral part of a free and fair election.
How does NOTA work and does it affect election results?
While there have been calls to make NOTA more powerful, it has had no impact on the election results as framed by the Election Commission. Questions have been raised frequently in this regard. However, introducing NOTA, the Election Commission said that though these votes are counted, it will not have any effect on the election results. Therefore, NOTA gets the most or the least number of votes, it has no effect on the total valid votes.
There have been calls from political experts as well as those looking at drastic reforms in the electoral system to count the NOTA. Many have said that if NOTA gets more votes than political candidates in an election, re-election should be held and NOTA should be treated as a “fictional electoral candidate”.
(with PTI inputs)
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