The prestigious Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat- won by the Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in three successive terms, recorded the highest number of NOTA (None of the Above) votes among the six constituencies of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Out of the total of 11,13727 votes cast, 12,938 voters rejected all candidates and opted for NOTA. This significant number indicates considerable disapproval among the electorate.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh retained the Udhampur-Doda seat by defeating Congress candidate Choudhary Lal Singh by a margin of 124373 votes. Dr. Singh secured 571076 votes while his rival Choudhary Lal Singh got 446703 votes.
The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency followed, with 6,223 voters choosing NOTA from a total of 1,026,148 votes. This suggests a notable portion of the electorate rejecting all candidates. In Srinagar, 5,998 voters selected NOTA out of 675,242 total votes, highlighting substantial voter dissatisfaction.
In Baramulla, 4,984 voters opted for NOTA from 1,033,900 total votes, indicating a segment of the population desiring different representation. The Jammu constituency saw 4,645 NOTA votes out of 1,302,176 total votes, reflecting relatively lower voter discontent compared to other regions.
Lastly, in Ladakh, 912 voters chose NOTA out of 135,524 total votes, representing a small but notable fraction seeking alternatives to the existing candidates.
68 percent of candidates polled less than NOTA votes
According to Election Commission data, 68 percent of the 100 candidates contesting in Jammu and Kashmir's five Lok Sabha seats received fewer votes than NOTA. A total of 34,788 voters pressed the NOTA button across these five seats, rejecting the candidates fielded by parties.
Meanwhile, in Ladakh, which was part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir until the Union Government divided it into two Union territories and abrogated Article 370 in August 2019, only 912 voters chose NOTA. Ladakh, the sole Parliamentary constituency in the UT, had three candidates, all of whom received more votes than NOTA.
NOTA was introduced in 2013 following a Supreme Court directive to encourage political parties to nominate candidates with clean backgrounds and to enhance voter turnout.
Since its introduction, the percentage of NOTA votes in various Assembly and Parliamentary elections has ranged from 1.5% to 2% of the total votes. However, the current system does not mandate a repoll if NOTA receives the highest number of votes.
Indore Lok Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh created history by recording 2,18,674 NOTA votes.
