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MAPUSA
The Bardez voter has given thumbs up to NOTA in the past elections, but the habit of registering the protest vote has not caught on. At least, not yet.
The ‘None of The Above’ (NOTA) option for voters has shown a mixed response in Bardez in the 2014 Lok Sabha and 2017 assembly polls in the State.
While there was a higher voting percentage of NOTA in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, it declined in the 2017 assembly elections, with Mapusa being an exception, in Bardez.
Curiously, in the 2017 assembly election, the number of votes for NOTA shot up to 409 in Mapusa.
In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, 1.24 percent of the voters preferred NOTA in Bardez with 1,668 people preferring not to vote to any of the candidates contesting the polls.
However, the preference for NOTA dropped in the 2017 assembly elections as just 1.01 percent of the electorate preferred NOTA with 1,515 people pressing the NOTA button.
The highest number of votes of 309 for NOTA was polled in Siolim while Calangute polled the lowest with 201 in 2014 Lok Sabha election. Tivim (217), Mapusa (255), Saligao (202), Porvorim (240) and Aldona (244) completed the NOTA preference in Bardez in the 2014 general election.
Although the votes polled by NOTA came down in the 2017 assembly polls, Mapusa polled highest with 409 votes and the least polling was in Saligao with 171 votes.
Tivim (179), Siolim (212), Calangute (172), Porvorim (176) and Aldona (196) completed the NOTA sequence in Bardez in the 2017 assembly polls.
Interestingly, NOTA registered 409 votes in the 2017 assembly elections in Mapusa beating the score of two candidates “ NCP’s Sanjay Barde who polled 289 votes and Goa Su-Raj Party’s Rameshwari Morajkar who got 103 “ from among other political stalwarts who contested in the election.
A keen political observer of Mapusa, Adv Satish Rao said voting for NOTA had no impact on the government.
“There are a number of people voting for NOTA, but the government is not doing anything to bring some amendments to the election statute to give NOTA more teeth,” Rao said. “If NOTA does not pinch anyone, what is the point? You are wasting your vote because nobody is reacting to your protest vote. This is the bitter truth,” he added.
NOTA option was first introduced in the India’s electoral system in 2013 and the first election with the option was held in Goa in the 2014 general election. Former Speaker and ex-Mapusa MLA, Surendra Sirsat said NOTA may not achieve any result but people who believe in democracy have an option to express their resentment at the election booth.
“My feeling is that this time, NOTA may score more than the last election,” Sirsat said.
NOTA: FACTS & FIGURES
Higher voting percentage of NOTA recorded in 2014 Lok Sabha polls
Declined in 2017 assembly elections, with Mapusa being an exception, in Bardez.
In 2017 assembly election, number of votes for NOTA shot up to 409 in Mapusa
In 2014 LS elections, 1.24 per cent of voters preferred NOTA in Bardez with 1,668 people preferring not to vote
Preference for NOTA dropped in 2017 assembly elections as just 1.01 percent of the electorate preferred NOTA with 1,515 people pressing the NOTA button
Highest number of votes of 309 for NOTA polled in Siolim while Calangute polled lowest with 201 in 2014 LS election
