Assam: 2,40,301 voters under 14 House of Parliamentary Constituencies pressed NOTA in Lok Sabha Election 2024

LAKHIMPUR: In the Lok Sabha Election-2024, a total of 2,40,301 voters under the total 14 House of Parliamentary Constituencies (HPCs) of the State found no eligible candidate to cast their votes. In the election, this large number of voters exercised their franchise by pressing the NOTA button and expressed their opinion by respecting the very spirit of democratic values.

It should be noted here that the “None of the Above” (NOTA) option is available on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for voters who do not wish to support any political candidate. This allows them to exercise their right not to vote without revealing their decision. Choosing NOTA signifies that the voter has decided not to back any particular party or candidate. Before NOTA was included in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), voters who wished to reject all candidates had to fill out Form 49-O at a voting booth. However, this process compromised the secrecy of the voter’s choice.

Taking the advantage of the NOTA option in the EVMs, which was first introduced in 2013 in the nation, the highest number of voters pressed the NOTA button in the No.13 Dibrugarh HPC, from where Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was elected. A total of 32,255 NOTA votes, out of 2,40,301, were polled in Dibrugarh HPC according to Election Commission data. The lowest 2,940 NOTA votes were recorded in No. 7 Karimganj HPC, from where BJP’s Kripanath Mallah was re-elected.

On the other hand, the second largest NOTA votes have been recorded in No. 10 Kaziranga HPC from where BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa was elected. A total of 24,431 voters exercised their franchise by pressing the NOTA button in the Kaziranga HPC. The third largest NOTA votes have been recorded in No 4 Darrang-Udalguri HPC from where BJP’s Dilip Saikia was re-elected. The number of NOTA votes recorded in Darrang-Udalguri HPC is 23,204.

In No. 1 Kokrajhar (ST) HPC, a total of 13,912 NOTA votes have been recorded. This seat was won by UPPL candidate Jayanta Basumatary. A total of 15,015 NOTA votes were recorded in No. 2 Dhubri HPC, which was wrested by Congress candidate Rackybul Hussain from AIUDF’s three-time MP Badruddin Ajmal.

On the other hand, 17,117 NOTA votes were polled in No. 3 Barpeta HPC which was won by AGP’s Phani Bhushan Choudhury. In No. 5 Guwahati HPC, where BJP’s Bijuli Kalita Medhi won, a total of 20,249 NOTA votes have been recorded while a total of 16,259 NOTA votes were polled in No. 6 Diphu HPC which was won by BJP candidate Amarsing Tisso. A total of 12,700 electors exercised their franchise by pressing the NOTA button in No. 8 Silchar HPC where BJP candidate Parimal Suklabaidya had the last laugh. In No. 9 Nagaon HPC, 11,995 NOTA votes were polled. This parliamentary seat was bagged by Congress candidate Pradyut Bordoloi. In No. 11 Sonitpur, where BJP’s Ranjit Dutta won, 18,748 NOTA votes were cast, while 16,921 such votes were polled in No. 12 Lakhimpur HPC, which was retained by BJP’s Pradan Baruah for the third time. A total of 14,555 NOTA votes were cast in No. 14 Jorhat HPC, which was bagged by Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi.

Notably, the BJP won nine seats in the said election and its allies AGP and UPPL one each, while the Congress won three seats. Elections to the 14 HPCs of the State were held in three phases — on April 19, April 26 and May 7, with 81.56 per cent turnout recorded. A total of 143 contestants were in fray across the State. The NOTA votes recorded have outperformed a total of 96 contestants out of them. As per data of the Election Commission of India, NOTA votes have outperformed 6 contestants in Kokrajhar, 10 in Dhubri, 11 in Barpeta, 8 in Darrang-Udalguri, 6 in Guwahati, 2 in Diphu, 17 in Karimganj, 5 in Silchar, 10 in Nagaon, 9 in Kaziranga, 4 in Sonitpur, 6 in Lakhimpur and 2 in Jorhat HPC.

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