Disillusioned voters give NOTAble performance

PANAJI: Indicating a growing disillusionment among voters with the current crop of politicians, a total of 12,499 voters opted for the None Of The Above (NOTA) button – the last button on the electronic voting machines — this Lok Sabha election as compared to the 10,000-odd voters in the 2014 election.

NOTA proponents are welcoming the over 23% increase in those exercising this option.
Over 7,000 voters in North Goa and more than 5,000 of them in the south shunned the Lok Sabha poll candidates, comprising veterans and newcomers. In the 2014 polls, the figure for North Goa stood at 5,770 voters and for South Goa at 4,333 voters.
The highest number of NOTA votes - over 600 - were polled in Poriem.
The Mandrem, Pernem, Mayem, Priol, Valpoi and Marcaim centres each recorded over 400 NOTA votes.
In fact, this election, NOTA moved up one spot from 2014 to secure the third highest number of votes, surpassing AAP, the Republican Party of India (K) and two independent candidates.
In South Goa, NOTA came in at the fourth spot after Congress, BJP and AAP.
“I’m surprised as well as happy. This is the third election where I have opted for NOTA. I don’t have faith in any of the candidates in the fray. Can they be trusted to do your work regardless of political gain?” businessman Melwin D’Souza told TOI. He said there needs to be more awareness about the NOTA option among voters.
“Though politicians tend to take the electorate to be fools, they must realise that voters are the deciding authority,” he said.
Another voter who registered his “vote of protest” said, “I will continue to do opt for NOTA until the Election Commission takes cognizance of this option and decides that people have the power to demand a re-election with a new set of candidates. This will make politicians more accountable to the people,” he said.