NOTA (None of the Above)
- The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) urging the Supreme Court to make the inclusion of NOTA (None of the Above) mandatory in all elections, including those with only one candidate.
- NOTA allows voters to reject all candidates while preserving the confidentiality of their vote. Introduced following a landmark 2013 Supreme Court ruling in PUCL vs Union of India, NOTA was first used in the 2013 Assembly elections in states like Rajasthan and Delhi, and later in the 2014 General Elections.
- Although NOTA votes are counted, they currently hold no legal weight—if NOTA gets the most votes, the runner-up among valid candidates still wins.
- The Election Commission (EC) has opposed mandatory implementation of NOTA, noting that uncontested elections are rare—only six in Lok Sabha polls since 1971.
- The EC also pointed out that enforcing such a measure would require amending the Representation of the People Act and election rules.