VIKAS-The Concept School ASL

ENGLISH PROJECT CLASS : S1

SUBMISSION FOR THE ACADEMIC
SESSION: 2022-2023 TOPIC:
NOTA AND THE INDIAN VOTER
SUBMITTED BY: Aasna Choudhary

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I
would like to take this opportunity to
express our sincere gratitude to our English
teacher Mrs R.Usha for providing her
invaluable guidance , support and
suggestions throughout the course of the
project. Secondly, I would like to
thank my parents, neighbours and friends
who helped us a lot in finishing this project
within the limited time. The project has not
only enhanced my knowledge but has also
improved my listening and speaking skills.
 INDEX

S.No Topic Page

No.
1. Objectives
2. Action plan
3. Questionnaire
4. Report
5. Reflection
6. Bibliography

OBJECTIVES As my friends and I are

growing older and getting close to the legal voting age, it is
important for us to know the election process and all the ways
we can help in the development of the country. NOTA i.e., none
of the above, is an option that enables voters to officially
register a vote of rejection for all candidates who are
contesting. On September 2013, the Supreme Court of India
ruled that the right to register NOTA must apply.
The aim of doing this project was to learn more about NOTA,
how and why people choose it and how it helps us voice our
opinions. The growing popularity of NOTA led me to question
its relevance in today’s political environment with voters.
Through this project I aim to bring into light people’s opinions
on the option of NOTA and when we can use it. This would
help us be better citizens and be well-informed of our
democratic process.

ACTION PLAN · Selection of the

topic · Creating the survey ( survey created using

Google Forms) · Sending the survey to different

people · Research · Preparing a draft
using the responses from the survey and research

· Editing and proofreading the report · Concluding

the project and research

QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Why, in your

opinion, is NOTA an important option given to the voting
citizens in India? 2. Does NOTA have any relevance in today's
political system? Why/why not? 3. Do you think that
choosing NOTA leads to political parties fielding better
candidates in the polls? 4. Have you (or) would you consider
voting NOTA in the elections? What made you choose it? 5.
NOTA has gained immense popularity since its introduction.
Why do you think this is? 6. Do you believe that NOTA is a
wastage of votes? 7. In what ways do you think NOTA is abused
by voters? 8. In what ways do you think is NOTA abused by
political powers? 9. Any final thoughts?
REPORT “Voting is the expression of our
commitment to ourselves, one another, this country and this
world.” ~ Sharon Salzberg Voting is not only our right
but also our responsibility. But what do we do if we think none
of the candidates contesting in the elections can do good for
our fellow citizens? This makes it important for us to have an
option where we can express our discontentment with the
various candidates fielded. The Supreme Court gave us this
option, i.e., NOTA in 2013. NOTA i.e., None Of The Above, is
an option that enables voters to officially register a vote of
rejection for all candidates who are contesting in the elections.
It provides us with an estimation of what the citizens think of
contested candidates and we get to exercise our freedom of
expression. In the survey conducted, most people
believed that the reason we are given this important option of
choosing NOTA is so that we can reject the candidates that
we believe are not competent and whose merits the public
does not approve of. When people see through the false
promises made by political parties and are aware of the

unfair
practices that candidates engage in, it is necessary that they get
to express their resentment towards this. The Supreme Court
too observed that it is essential that people of high ethical
values are chosen as people’s representatives. It is relevant in
today’s political atmosphere as people are often forced to
choose the better of the worse instead of choosing
representatives that they actually believe in. Politicians that do
not have enough credentials are often provided with tickets to
elections which is unfair to the citizens. This is where
NOTA comes into play and people can choose to not vote for
candidates they are not confident about. In the
Gujarat Assembly elections in 2014, NOTA polled the third
largest votes and in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections,
NOTA polled more votes than parties with nationwide
presence. This is a clear representation of the growing
popularity of NOTA. This success can lead to some very
important and necessary political reform. Majority of the
survey participants believe that large proportions of NOTA
votes can lead
to parties fielding better candidates in the elections.
Parties are then bound to conduct internal elections and
project candidates that are the most meritorious. When asked
if they’ve ever voted NOTA or would ever consider voting
NOTA, 80 percent of the participants
said yes. They were clear about the fact that if they

weren’t
satisfied by any of the candidates, they would express it by
choosing NOTA. Just like any other power, NOTA is also
abused by certain people. Political parties or influential
groups often convince people to vote NOTA instead of
studying about the candidate for their own benefits. This makes
people overlook the potential of candidates. Sometimes,
voters choose NOTA due to negligence and electoral
illiteracy. Since NOTA has no electoral power, the
person having the next highest votes comes to power. This is
why there is a popular belief that it is a wastage of votes and is
‘merely cosmetic’. Political parties and the general public
ignore the number of NOTA votes and that hinders the spirit
of it. The survey helped us get ideas on how NOTA can be
made more effective. For example, if NOTA receives the
maximum votes in a constituency, repolling should be ordered
with change of candidate. Also, such candidates should not
be allowed to contest in elections. To conclude,
if awareness about NOTA in increased among the citizens, a
systemic change will occur in our electoral process and the
right people will come into power leading to the satisfaction
of the people and the betterment of the country.

REFLECTION Through
this project, I was able to understand our electoral process and
how I could express my opinions.

It helped me recognise NOTA as an important choice. I

understood why this was an option given to us. I could also see
what people think about NOTA and where improvements
could be made. This will surely help me when I vote in the
elections.

BIBLIOGRAPHY -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/None_of_the_abov e_(India)
- https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/nota
and-the-indian-voter/article62113586.ece