Mysuru: As many as 1.12 percent voters chose None of the Above (NOTA) option in Mysuru in the Karnataka Assembly elections held on May 12. Out of the 18, 46,397 who voted in the district 16,362 opted NOTA.
Mysuru district recorded 74.6 percent voting with 18,46,397 voters turning up to vote out of the total 24,93,407 eligible voters. The voter turnout dipped this year, despite the awareness initiatives conducted by the district administration in the lead up to the elections.
In Varuna constituency, out of the 1,74,457 votes recorded 1,497 were NOTA votes. Highest NOTA votes were seen in Nanjangud constituency, with 1,947 NOTA votes received out of the 1,63,483 votes. At T Narasipur where district in-charge minister H C Mahadevappa contested the election, 1660 voters preferred NOTA.
In Chamundeshwari, where former chief minister contested the election, 1,549 voters found all the candidates unsuitable as they opted NOTA. In H D Kote, Chamaraja and Hunsur constituency also people voted 1596, 1561 and 1549 votes for NOTA respectively.
If a NOTA vote is registered it shows the disapproval of the voter against all the candidates. Though it is a formal dissatisfaction at the quality of candidates, the NOTA has no power to reject the candidates completely in the present election set up. Even one vote in favour of a candidate can win him even if all the others have opted NOTA.
