Farmer serves legal notice to ECI demanding symbol for NOTA

Hubballi: Urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to give a whip symbol to None of the Above (NOTA) option in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), a farmer from Nargund in Gadag district knocked the doors of law and served legal notices to the Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Vijay Kulkarni, a farmer and also an activist of Kalasa-Banduri project implementation, has served two legal notices to ECI through his advocate for not responding to his demand.

“The ECI has provided an option to the voters to cast their vote to NOTA in the EVMs if they do not find a suitable candidate among the contestants. Many people don’t know what is NOTA as there is no symbol for it. If the ECI provides a symbol for it, it would be easy for the voters to understand the purpose of NOTA and they would use it,” said Kulkarni.

In February he submitted a memorandum to the ECI through the Nargund tahsildar. But he did not get any response from the ECI. Recently he served two legal notices to ECI demanding to give a whip symbol to NOTA.

All contestants are being given symbols, and it is easy to recognise them. If the NOTA has been given a symbol, it will be easier for the voters. “We demanded the whip symbol, it is left to ECI to finalise the symbol,” he said.