Hyderabad: The appeal of Nota is growing in constituencies where the candidates are not able to connect with voters and are not seen as being able to solve their problems or represent them in the right manner in Parliament.
Campaigning candidates have conspicuously left out such important issues as clean water, air pollution, and containing environmental damage.
Subhrata Roy, a green activist, says, “The choice of candidates by the party is a major concern as they are not aware of what is actually the need of the constituency. The issues are often mixed with civic issues and they are talking only about these problems which the state or the municipal authorities have to look into. The bigger problems in terms of policies, of providing sewage management plants, or ensuring proper implementation of cleanliness drives, are far from being addressed. When none of the party candidates have knowledge of these subjects, the vote will be only for Nota (none of the above).”
Several groups of citizens have been checking to see if the aspiring candidates from their constituencies have looked into issues that affect them, and if this is not the case, have decided that it will be Nota.
Salauddin Sheikh in Amberpet said, “We are campaigning for Nota as we find that the candidates are not addressing the problems that we are facing in our area. If our problems are not addressed, it is a Nota. If the margin of Nota votes is more, it will have an impact on the winning candidate.”
For this reason, several groups are getting people to vote not for the candidate but for Nota, to send a strong message that local candidates must know the constituency that they represent and take on board their constituents’ concerns.
Zahid Khan, a social media cell co-ordinator for a party says, “The demand from the people is to resolve their problems but we are finding that more and more parties are merely taking pot-shots at each other and that is leading to a lot of discontent as the real problems are far from being addressed.”
