Over 7 Lakh Bihar Voters Opted for NOTA in State Elections

Voters undergo thermal screening at a polling station before casting vote during the second phase of Bihar Assembly elections, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in Patna.

(Photo: PTI)

Over seven lakh voters in Bihar used the ‘none of the above’ or NOTA option in the Assembly elections, said the Election Commission.

The JD(U)-led NDA on Tuesday, 10 November returned to power in Bihar with a slim majority of 125 seats, securing a fourth term for Nitish Kumar as the chief minister of the state.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has emerged to be the single largest party in the state with 75 seats.

The 'NOTA' option on electronic voting machines was introduced in 2013, where voters can opt to not vote for any candidate.

7,06,252 people or 1.7 percent opted for the NOTA.

Of nearly 7.3 crore voters, 57.09 percent cast votes in the polls. Around 4.10 crore votes were polled in the three-phase elections.

Bihar is the first state to go for elections during the coronavirus pandemic.

It was noted that in several constituencies in Bihar, the NOTA option got more votes than the winning margin of candidates, reported PTI.