RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat cast his vote early in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections and stressed that voting is a fundamental civic duty.
He said the NOTA option, while meant to express displeasure, can end up promoting an “unwanted” candidate.
The Nagpur civic polls see the BJP defending its dominant position after winning 108 of 151 seats in the previous election.
NOTA Promotes the Unwanted, Better To Choose A Candidate: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat
Casting his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation polls, Bhagwat urged citizens to participate responsibly in democracy and cautioned that opting for NOTA could indirectly benefit undesirable candidates.
Summary
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday cautioned voters against using the None of the Above (NOTA) option, saying it could indirectly help elect an undesirable candidate. After casting his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections, he appealed to citizens to participate actively in the democratic process and make informed choices.
Bhagwat was among the early voters in Nagpur, arriving at a polling booth in the Mahal area around 7:30 am. Speaking to reporters after exercising his franchise, he described elections as an essential pillar of democracy and said every citizen has a responsibility to vote in the public interest.
“Elections are a mandatory part of democracy and voting is the duty of all citizens. Keeping the larger public interest in mind, everyone should vote for a suitable candidate,” he said, adding that casting his vote was the first task of his day.
On the NOTA option available on electronic voting machines, Bhagwat remarked that rejecting all candidates does not necessarily strengthen democracy. “NOTA means you reject everyone, and by doing so, we promote a person who is not wanted,” he said. While acknowledging that NOTA allows voters to register their displeasure, he maintained that choosing the better candidate is preferable to opting out altogether.
The Nagpur civic polls are being keenly watched as part of the wider Maharashtra municipal elections. In the last NMC elections, the BJP had secured a commanding 108 of the 151 seats, while Congress won 28, the BSP 10, Shiv Sena (then undivided) 2, and the NCP (undivided) 1. The current contest will test whether the BJP can retain its dominance amid shifting political alignments in the state.
Bhagwat’s remarks add to the ongoing debate over the effectiveness of NOTA, which has been part of Indian elections since 2013 but does not impact the final outcome even if it secures the highest number of votes
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