NOTA voting option cannot be allowed in Rajya Sabha polls

• The Supreme Court overruled an Election Commission notification, saying that the option NOTA (None of the Above) cannot be permitted for voting in Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday.
• It is impermissible for the EC to have prescribed NOTA option in RS elections, it being an indirect means for proportional representation of States in RS.
• The top court has set aside the poll panel's notification allowing NOTA option in the ballot papers for Rajya Sabha elections.

Why SC scrapped the use of NOTA in Rajya Saba elections?

• As per the court, the NOTA option is meant only for universal adult suffrage and direct elections and not polls held by the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote as done in the Rajya Sabha.
• NOTA in indirect elections, such as in the Rajya Sabha, would lead to horse-trading, corruption and use of extra constitutional methods to defeat a party candidate.
• NOTA also makes the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote nugatory and otiose.

What is NOTA?

• NOTA or 'None of the above' is a ballot option that a voter can choose to apply instead of giving their vote to any of the contesting candidates.
• In 2009, the Election Commission of India had asked the Supreme Court to offer this option on electoral ballots, but the government had opposed to it.
• In September 2013, the SC ruled that every voter should have the right to register a 'None of the above' vote. From then on, the option has been in the electronic voting machines.
• The Election Commission clarified that votes caste as NOTA are counted, but are considered 'invalid votes'. Therefore, votes made to NOTA will not change the outcome of the election.

By: Vishal