India's largest state in terms of area, Rajasthan, is all set to go for Assembly polls on November 25. Both BJP and Congress have campaigned aggressively in the state and gone all out to woo their respective vote banks.
Rajasthan has historically been, more or less, a swing state, with the throne shuffling between BJP and Congress after every election. Needless to say, the incumbent Congress government and its CM Ashok Gehlot might be going through sleepless nights right now. Besides, BJP too, helmed by PM Modi, has upped the ante against the Congress dispensation making things politically interesting in the state.
However, what often goes unnoticed during the high-decibel election campaigns and polling is the voice of NOTA.
The concept of 'None of the above' or NOTA was introduced in India on September 27, 2013. NOTA empowers the voters to reject all the candidates who are contesting the polls. A voter who presses NOTA on the EVM has chosen not to vote for any party as they might have found them unfit to rule.
In this article, we'll discuss about the seats in Rajasthan which reported the highest number of NOTA in 2018 Assembly polls.
1. Kushalgarh
The Kushalgarh Assembly constituency registered the highest number of NOTA in the 2018 Rajasthan polls. A staggering 11,002 NOTA were reported from this seat. An Independent candidate, Ramila Khadiya, was chosen as the representative from Kushalgarh.
Interestingly, NOTA was the third-most preferred choice for Kushalgarh voters.
2. Bagidora
The Bagidora seat ranked second where NOTA was pressed in large numbers. A total of 5,581 NOTA were reported from here. Eventually, Congress candidate Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya emerged victorious from this seat.
3. Ghatol
With 4,857 NOTA, Ghatol constituency ranks third in this list. BJP's Harendra Ninama won this seat with by 46.33 per cent votes and defeated rival Congress' Nanalal Ninama by 44.29 per cent votes.
4. Garhi
Garhi seat registered 4,619 NOTA in the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly polls. BJP's Kailash Chandra Meena emerged winner from this seat with 99,350 votes.
5. Banswara
With 3,910 NOTA, Banswara constituency ranks fifth in this list. Congress candidate Arjun Singh Bamniya swept this seat with 88,447 votes.
(With inputs from ECI and IndiaVotes)