Congress Supports NOTA to Teach BJP a Lesson After Being Betrayed by Indore Pick

Indore is set to vote in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has been unable to secure a win in the Indore constituency, the largest in Madhya Pradesh in terms of voters, for 35 years.

This election marks the first time the party was unable to field a candidate. The BJP’s nominee is sitting MP Shankar Lalwani, while the Congress had initially given a ticket to Akshay Kanti Bam.

However, Bam withdrew from the race and switched to a rival party. State Congress chief Jitu Patwari has declared that the party will not support any remaining candidates and has urged people to register NOTA (None of the Above) votes to penalize the BJP.

Senior Congress leader Sajjan Verma has also called for NOTA votes as a means to teach the BJP a lesson. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Shobha Ojha has encouraged voters to choose the NOTA option in response to the BJP’s actions.

The NOTA option was introduced by the Supreme Court in 2013 to provide voters with a way to express their dissatisfaction with all the election candidates. However, the votes for NOTA do not impact the election results.

There is currently a petition before the Supreme Court requesting that an election in a constituency be invalidated if the majority of voters choose NOTA. Recent incidents have heightened tension surrounding the use of NOTA in the elections.

A BJP Councillor was caught removing posters advocating for NOTA, and the Congress has filed a complaint with the Election Commission. Both major parties are taking a strong stance on the use of NOTA, with the BJP expressing surprise and disapproval at the Congress candidate’s withdrawal and the orchestrated encouragement of NOTA votes.

The situation has sparked controversy, with conflicting opinions on the use of NOTA. It remains to be seen how the events will impact the election in Indore.