Mukesh Ranjan
Tribune News Service
Dehradun/Haridwar, April 5
The political discourse among people of the hill state of Uttarakhand is apparently indicative of their electoral choices as vocal voters here are not only expressing their preference for the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress openly, but also about NOTA (none of the above).
The NOTA preference among a sizeable number of voters here appeared more on account of limited choices they are left with because the state has largely remained bipolar (between Congress and BJP) since its inception in 2001 and also because of their disappointment with the “anti-corruption” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Speaking openly about his choice of NOTA during the last Lok Sabha (2014) and Assembly (2017) elections, Avneesh Thakur (35), a local microfinance professional from an Army family background in Dehradun, said, “Though my father and mother support the BJP, my wife (an electronic and IT engineer) and I have been pressing NOTA since the downfall of AAP as a political force in the state.” He said the political spectrum of the state provides “very limited choice” and he goes for NOTA to ensure that “I participate in the democratic process and register my views”.
Thakur’s buddy Manish Thapa, who standing by his side during the conversation, disagrees with him. He said, “We should not go for NOTA as it spreads negativity.”
Thapa said though his family has traditionally been associated with the Congress and voted for it in successive elections, “our views are changing for many reasons and I may vote for the BJP”. He also said that he would make efforts to change Thakur’s views and hopefully “I will succeed”.
If one travels up the hills from Dehradun either towards Mussoorie or towards Rishikesh, the mood almost remains the same. Poll watchers in the state claim that the trend assumes significance considering that voters in hill constituencies, which generally witness low turnout, are feeling disenchanted with the existing political process.
Chandra Kumar Ghalay, a social activist in Rishikesh who retired recently from the Army as Naib Subedar, said, “It is disheartening to see that voters in the hills are willing to take the pain of coming to the poll booths from inaccessible terrains and then, press NOTA. We need to do something to improve the situation.”
But this situation is not new. The percentage of voters in this hill state who pressed NOTA was more than the national average in the 2014 General Election. While the national average was 1.09%, in Uttarakhand, it was 1.1%.
The EC data reveals that a total of 48,345 NOTA votes were registered in the state in 2014 out of the total of 43.95 lakh valid votes cast.
Interestingly, Almora recorded the highest among the five constituencies with 2.3% voters pressing NOTA. It was followed by Tehri (1.4%) and Pauri Garhwal 1.3%. At fourth place was Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar with 0.9% followed by Haridwar with 0.3%.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2ORZeUU
via Today’s News Headlines
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