Illiteracy in remote areas makes NOTA a key choice

Visakhapatnam: NOTA (None of The Above) button on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) was the fourth choice of voters in 18 and third choice in four of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies that went to poll in AP on May 13, garnering a vote share of 1.2 per cent.
The only exception was Vizag city where NOTA votes bagged sixth spot among the total votes polled.

In the 2019 polls, NOTA share was around 1.5 per cent of total votes polled in AP. NOTA votes had bagged third, fourth and fifth spot among the votes polled in certain Lok Sabha constituencies. However, experts say illiteracy among people in remote areas in Araku Lok Sabha constituency was one of the reasons for increasing NOTA share.
While Araku Lok Sabha constituency (ST) in the state recorded the highest share of NOTA votes at 4.3 per cent (50,470 votes) of the total polled votes (11,644,45) in the 2024 election and NOTA bagged fourth spot.
In the 2019 general elections, Araku Lok Sabha segment scored the second-highest Nota count in the country with nearly 48,000 voters choosing that option on EVMs. Across the state in 2024 general elections, Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat saw NOTA votes bagging the sixth spot with 5,313 votes (0.38 per cent of total polled votes of 13,87,125.) In the LS segment, TDP candidate M Sribharat won by a margin of 5,04,247 votes.
Apart from the tribal reserved Araku Lok Sabha segment, Anakapalle also sprang a surprise. With 26,235 voters (1.98 per cent polled votes) opting for NOTA in 2024, it bagged third spot.
Similarly, in Srikakulam Lok Sabha constituency, 24,605 people (1.99 per cent) voted for NOTA, while in Rajahmundry Lok Sabha seat, 24,435 (1.84 per cent) people voted for NOTA. In Vizianagaram Lok Sabha constituency, 23,250 (1.79 per cent) people opted for NOTA.
NOTA votes have decreased from 4,68,822 in 2019 to 3,98,777 in 2024. NOTA vote share decreased to 1.2 per cent of the total polled votes in 2024 from 1.5 per cent in 2019.
Officials said in rural as well as urban locations in state, some voters opted for NOTA.
Voters opting for NOTA clearly show they either reject the candidates or express their dissent against political set-up. It also shows what the voters want to say - they highly respect democracy, but they are very unhappy with the candidate who is contesting.
Some of the political experts said people opting for NOTA may increase in the coming years and it also shows there is a need for better candidates, and better issues to be debated upon. It is a major issue where voters are expressing unhappiness on the democratic set-up, they added.