WHY I SUPPORT “NOTA”
The undersigned has been carrying out a campaign urging people in India to exercise their franchise in favour of NOTA ( none of the above – not preferring any candidate ), if they are not satisfied with any of the candidate contesting in the election in their constituency. My campaign has not received much publicity so far. However , number of people who have heard about my campaign in my blog and from other sources have disagreed with my view.
In the current political situation in India , most people suspect that many of the politicians contesting in the election are corrupt, dishonest and have made politics as their profession to seize power and accumulate wealth that are mostly ill gotten. Many of the politicians are wealthy with no known sources of income.
We find strange situation that apart from politicians , those who run lucrative educational institutions, money multiplying hospitals and business houses and even facing criminal charges also contest in elections by joining one political party or the other or even as independent candidate to make more money and “control” the national economy in their favour.It is also suspected that huge money is paid to the political parties to get nomination to contest in the party symbol or get nominated.
Further, most political parties except BJP and Marxists communist have virtually become family controlled property and family business. Even BJP and Marxist communists align themselves with family controlled and corrupt parties and politicians to form alliance before the election to corner the seats. It has now become too frequent for the leader of the family controlled political party to nominate son, daughter, nephew or niece or wife to contest in the election in the party symbol.
We often say that honest people should enter politics and that is the only way to cleanse politics in India. In today’s situation , without huge money and muscle power , which honest people do not possess ,it is not possible to win elections. Several honest and commited people have entered the electoral fray in the past and have failed miserably and could not get sizeable votes and have lost their deposits.
I myself contested in the South Chennai parliamentary constituency in 2009 parliament election and my vote share was extremely low. I decided to spend three lakhs of rupees towards my electoral campaign and that was all I spent which was largely from my pocket.
Now. the voice of the honest people are not heard at all in the election campaign and they vote silently to any one of the candidates even without full conviction and some of them refrain from voting due to the frustration with the standards of the candidates.
While not able to win election by honest and principled persons, how to make their voice heard ?
Nobody knows how many people today resent the type of political climate prevailing in India. Election Commission has given an opportunity to citizens to vote under “NOTA” (none of the above) to express their dissent and why not utilize this opportunity?
Let the voice of the honest people be heard who disapprove the corrupt and dishonest politicians contesting in the election to seize power for their personal and family benefits and the benefits of their henchmen (party supporters).
Those who criticise my view supporting NOTA argue that voting under NOTA will not serve any useful purpose and corrupt politicians will still get elected. This is true in practical terms.
But, let the country men and corrupt politicians know that there is silent anti corruption revolution taking place in India and let them know the voice of the dissenters.
Not voting under NOTA giving the excuse that people have no alternative is a defeatist view.
When sizable number of votes are lost to the contesting candidates by exercising NOTA by the voters, it certainly will have a telling and positive impact on the long term prospect of democracy in India and will certainly create fear in the minds of corrupt politicians, who now take people for granted.
Those who vote for corrupt politicians knowing they are corrupt and saying that they have no alternative, have no right to complain later about the corrupt political system in the country.
N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice for The Deprived
nandinivoice.com more
In the current political situation in India , most people suspect that many of the politicians contesting in the election are corrupt, dishonest and have made politics as their profession to seize power and accumulate wealth that are mostly ill gotten. Many of the politicians are wealthy with no known sources of income.
We find strange situation that apart from politicians , those who run lucrative educational institutions, money multiplying hospitals and business houses and even facing criminal charges also contest in elections by joining one political party or the other or even as independent candidate to make more money and “control” the national economy in their favour.It is also suspected that huge money is paid to the political parties to get nomination to contest in the party symbol or get nominated.
Further, most political parties except BJP and Marxists communist have virtually become family controlled property and family business. Even BJP and Marxist communists align themselves with family controlled and corrupt parties and politicians to form alliance before the election to corner the seats. It has now become too frequent for the leader of the family controlled political party to nominate son, daughter, nephew or niece or wife to contest in the election in the party symbol.
We often say that honest people should enter politics and that is the only way to cleanse politics in India. In today’s situation , without huge money and muscle power , which honest people do not possess ,it is not possible to win elections. Several honest and commited people have entered the electoral fray in the past and have failed miserably and could not get sizeable votes and have lost their deposits.
I myself contested in the South Chennai parliamentary constituency in 2009 parliament election and my vote share was extremely low. I decided to spend three lakhs of rupees towards my electoral campaign and that was all I spent which was largely from my pocket.
Now. the voice of the honest people are not heard at all in the election campaign and they vote silently to any one of the candidates even without full conviction and some of them refrain from voting due to the frustration with the standards of the candidates.
While not able to win election by honest and principled persons, how to make their voice heard ?
Nobody knows how many people today resent the type of political climate prevailing in India. Election Commission has given an opportunity to citizens to vote under “NOTA” (none of the above) to express their dissent and why not utilize this opportunity?
Let the voice of the honest people be heard who disapprove the corrupt and dishonest politicians contesting in the election to seize power for their personal and family benefits and the benefits of their henchmen (party supporters).
Those who criticise my view supporting NOTA argue that voting under NOTA will not serve any useful purpose and corrupt politicians will still get elected. This is true in practical terms.
But, let the country men and corrupt politicians know that there is silent anti corruption revolution taking place in India and let them know the voice of the dissenters.
Not voting under NOTA giving the excuse that people have no alternative is a defeatist view.
When sizable number of votes are lost to the contesting candidates by exercising NOTA by the voters, it certainly will have a telling and positive impact on the long term prospect of democracy in India and will certainly create fear in the minds of corrupt politicians, who now take people for granted.
Those who vote for corrupt politicians knowing they are corrupt and saying that they have no alternative, have no right to complain later about the corrupt political system in the country.
N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice for The Deprived
nandinivoice.com more
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View all 14 comments Below 14 comments
Within NOTA ists, there are as many as ideologies as the no of NOTA ists. If you are not able to align to any parties or create your own, you can not make any revolution with NOTA ists. Here NOTA will create only the chaos in our democracy rather than any solution what you are hoping. It is no where exist in the world. It's created only to maintain corruption in the system by alliance of parties of different (so called)ideologies. See/research on the today's MAHAGATHBANDHAN against BJP who will be benefited with more number of NOTA votes. more
Apr 05
Never opt for NOTA, since its purpose is to ensure that votingis 100% and nothing more. There will be no effect on political parties with this option because EC will not consider these votes while declaring the results. EC clearly mention this. For example if there are totally 100 votes, even if NOTA gets 99 and some X got one vote then X will be declared as winner. So, I don't think "None of the Above" Option will change our politics. In a democracy, and hope to select the person who has not committed any serious crime. we have to consider majority option so if all candidates are rejected by majority of people, using NOTA, then will the EC consider re-election? Will it ever happen when votes can be bought? May be if all 542 idiots jointly decide (which is possible since they will be benefitted), the elections can be postponed eternally like Tamilnadu local body election. Today it is Mar 2019. The local body elections that were scheduled for October 2016 has been stalled by the Madras High Court, on a petition from DMK, there are no signs of any elections to civic bodies in the entire State, leave alone the Corporation of Chennai. Come October, we will have completed two years of civic administration sans an elected body. Two years ago, when the elections fell due, it was the Opposition that did not want elections. This despite the local administrations under the present party in power not having performed much and therefore standing very little chance of a re-election. The Opposition took the matter to court, querying the hurried announcement of dates, irregularities and law & order problems. The Courts had obligingly stayed the elections. The DMK filed the first case regarding delimitation. But it was to ensure transparency in the system. But now the delay is political. The AIADMK is well aware that they will not win if an election were to take place today, Since it is easier to control an officer to get a favourable contract, both the ruling and opposition parties go hand in hand in this delay. Why we need a ward counciler? "An MLA is not someone that you go to for your daily civic problems. His or her only function is to legislate. While the middle class and lower middle contact the local engineer in the area, poorer sections of society depend on the ward councillor, to discuss all issues related to their area. This vacuum cost them dearly. Sadly, not many know that the release of funds from the Finance Commission for various civic projects is dependent on their being an elected body in place. The laws forbid the Finance Commission from funding States where laws for electing local bodies are not in place" The next Govt. in the centre will be moore brutal in that, they may opt for stalling election for a few more years quoting excuses, similar to TN Govt. This is an apprehension that many Opposition parties expressed. more
Mar 31
Your are alone Sir. The family of Ney sayers (NOTA ists) is growing. I am confident we will be making a strong statement in this election provided alone the EVMs are not tampered and we are heard. more
Mar 31
Need to remove the NOTA, every indian must to be voted for election, There is no quality of work procedure for election commission. more
Mar 31
