Pauri: In the recently concluded Uttarakhand assembly elections 2022, the NOTA (None of the Above) option was used by voters more than 45,000 times. Out of the total voting percentage of 65.37%, NOTA accounted for 0.87% in Uttarakhand.
The trend, a sharp contrast to voters practicing their democratic rights in support of their party and candidate of choice, however, pales in comparison to the 2017 assembly elections in the Himalayan state, where it pushed above the 50,000 mark.
As per information received from Uttarakhand State Election Commission, among the total 70 seats, in six seats in more than 1,000 NOTA votes were cast this time around. The Kaladhungi seat saw the option used the most number of times: 1,418.
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In comparison, 1367 NOTA hits were observed in the Chakrata assembly seat of Dehradun district, 1096 in Lohaghat seat of Champawat, 1094 in Gangolihat seat of Pithoragarh, 1091 in Dehradun's Sahaspur seat, and 1003 times in the Someshwar constituency.
Districtwise, the highest NOTA count was observed in 10 seats of Dehradun district, where a total of 7,965 voters used the option.
