NOTA polls more than independents

Trichy: A considerable number of voters have opted for None of the Above (NOTA) in this assembly election in Trichy district, showing their disinterest towards candidates in the poll fray.
Many urban voters opted for NOTA when it was introduced in 2014 Lok Sabha election. However, a significant number of voters in rural areas have also opted for NOTA in this assembly election.
Five lakh voters have voted for NOTA this assembly election. In the nine constituencies in Trichy district, 27,732 voters have opted for NOTA. However, state-wide figure on NOTA is less than that of the 2014 parliamentary election where a record 6 lakh voters opted for NOTA.
In many constituencies, votes for NOTA are more than that of the collective votes secured by independent candidates. In some constituencies, votes for NOTA outnumber votes of candidates of PMK and Naam Tamilar Katchi.
For instance, Trichy East constituency has recorded highest votes for NOTA among the nine constituencies in the district. As many as 4,329 votes have been polled for NOTA which is more than what secured by R Prabhu of Naam Tamilar Katchi .
Similarly, voters in Trichy West constituency, where DMK candidate K N Nehru romped home, and 4100 votes have been polled for NOTA. Srirangam constituency saw a whopping 4,110 votes for NOTA which is fifth highest votes received .
While 3,364 voters have preferred NOTA in Manapparai constituency, it is more than 2,000 in Musiri, Thuraiyur, and Manachanallur.
"It is a message I would like to convey to the election commission to ensure that honest and efficient candidates are fielded in the elections," says a first time voter Ramesh Krishna from K K Nagar.
"Opting for NOTA is also the outcome of frustration of people against corrupt or candidates with criminal backgrounds in the recent time," says state spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Sangam N Veerasekaran.
While it is an opportunity for the voters to express their dissatisfaction on the candidates in the poll fray, he says that the election commission doesn't seem to be serious on analyzing such voting pattern.