Did it first: MP tried NOTA-like provision in 2009 polls

More than 4,000 voters had opted for Section 49 (0) of the Conduct of Election Rules.

While it is too early to predict how the none of the above (NOTA) option on EVMs will play out in the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh,a somewhat similar provision had caught the attention of voters in the state during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

More than 4,000 voters had opted for Section 49 (0) of the Conduct of Election Rules,1961,which allowed voters to go to the polling booth,get their fingers inked and register their decision to not vote by signing a register.

The exercise ensured no one else voted in the name of the person who did not find anyone worth voting for. The only drawback was that it did not protect the voters privacy because they had to write their names in the register.

At the time,most of the senior officers supervising the polls as well as the citizens in the state were not aware of the Section 49 (0) provision. They were alerted only when Rajkumar Patel,the Congress opponent to BJP candidate Sushma Swaraj in Vidisha constituency,issued an appeal to exercise the option on the eve of polling.

Patels appeal was more of a face-saving exercise since his nomination had been rejected. He was eventually suspended by the Congress for anti-party activities.

Though not many voters in Vidisha responded to Patels appeal,the option was exercised by hundreds of citizens in other constituencies,taking the Election Commission by surprise.

Given such a precedent,Rolly Shivhare of the Madhya Pradesh Election Watch said the NOTA option was likely to be used by several youths,and it had also emerged as a popular option on social media during discussions and debates.

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But activist Sachin Jain said he was unsure if the button would find many takers the first time round. Maybe in future they will be able to send a strong message by opting for NOTA in large numbers, he said.