The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Election Commission (EC) concerning a petition about the use of the NOTA option in elections. The plea demands that an election be declared null and void if the NOTA option receives more votes than any candidate, and that a fresh election be conducted in such cases. Additionally, the petition proposes that candidates receiving fewer votes than NOTA should be barred from contesting elections for five years, and suggests NOTA be treated as a fictional candidate.
The petition was filed by Shiv Khera, citing the Surat election as an example in support of the plea. This legal action followed closely on the heels of the Supreme Court dismissing several petitions seeking 100% verification of EVM votes with VVPAT slips. The Court rejected the plea for paper ballot voting, full EVM-VVPAT verification, and physical deposit of VVPAT slips, emphasizing the importance of balanced perspectives and maintaining trust in democratic systems.
Meanwhile, the second phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections is underway across the country, with polls taking place in 88 out of 543 seats. The remaining seats will be contested in later phases, with the elections concluding in seven phases overall. The Chief Election Commissioner noted that more than 96.8 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
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