Bihar tops NOTA votes in 2024 Lok Sabha elections

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar recorded the highest percentage of NOTA (None of the Above) votes among major states, with 2.07% of voters choosing this option. Bihar, which sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha, stood out for its significant NOTA turnout. Overall, about 1% of voters nationwide used the NOTA button on electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Introduced in October 2013 following a Supreme Court order, the NOTA option allows voters to reject all candidates while maintaining the secrecy of their decision. In addition to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh saw a notable 1.41% of voters opting for NOTA, with Indore alone registering 218,674 NOTA votes. This followed a unique campaign by the Congress party in favour of NOTA after their candidate, Akshay Kanti Bam, withdrew and joined the BJP.

Tamil Nadu also witnessed a significant NOTA turnout at 1.06%, despite the BJP's extensive campaigning efforts. Meanwhile, 1.3% of votes in Odisha went to NOTA as the BJP won 20 out of 21 seats, leaving one seat for the Congress party.

The results of the 17th Lok Sabha elections were released yesterday with NDA  securing 294 seats, INDIA Bloc setting the bar with 234.