NOTA option to be available for first time across country in upcoming Lok Sabha polls

For the first time, electorate across the country will have an option of not choosing anyone from a list of candidates during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

As many as 20,000 EVMs will also have a paper trail facility which will enable a voter to verify whether his vote has been cast correctly.

Announcing the Lok Sabha poll schedule here, Chief Election Commissioner V S Samapath said 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option will be available throughout the country.

The NOTA was first made available to voters during the assembly polls held in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram and this time it will be available all over the country.

Under the NOTA facility, a button will be provided in the EVM after the name of the last candidate in the list where the electors will have the option of not voting for anyone in the fray.

Sampath added that the EC's experiment with paper trail during assembly polls in Nagaland and Mizoram has "enthused" it and "we have asked for 20,000 such EVMs. We will deploy them in as many constituencies as we can." Sampath also rejected questions over the performance of EVMs saying he had no doubts about their "efficiency and reliability."

Replying to a question on 'D' (doubtful) voters in Assam, the CEC said such voters will not be allowed to vote untill their status is cleared by a competent tribunal.