<div>In the chasm between the Trinamool Congress’ resounding victory and the Left’s rout lie more than eight lakh citizens who did not vote for either side. <br /><br />They opted for the None of The Above (NOTA) option, which analysts believe is a verdict against all the parties. A large number of voters in West Bengal opted for NOTA after it debuted on EVMs in the state this year. Although the figure is a staggering 8,31,845, NOTA’s vote share stands at a mere 1.52 per cent. <br /><br />While the CPI got 1.4 per cent, RSP got 1.7, which is slightly more than NOTA’s vote share. GJM, which rules the roost in Darjeeling Hills, got 0.5 per cent, and Independent candidates 2.2 per cent. Interestingly, NOTA votes in Bengal are nearly half of the total of such votes cast across the five states that went to polls.<br /><br />While the three hill seats registered the maximum number of NOTA votes, including 5,817 at Darjeeling, even in prominent flash points like Singur and Nandigram, a large number of voters opted fpr NOTA. <br /><br />The scene was no different in the 11 Kolkata constituencies, including at TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s home seat of Bhawanipore, where around 2,500 people voted for NOTA. The total NOTA votes cast in Kolkata stands at more than 30,000, with Nandigram recording the lowest at 1,278 among the prominent seats.<br /><br />Dissatisfied Voters <br />According to analyst Aloke Banerjee, a high volume of NOTA votes represents people’s dissatisfaction. “Interestingly, if the Opposition’s campaign on corruption against Trinamool had an effect on these voters, they decided to go with NOTA rather than vote for the Left or BJP. <br /><br />This means the Left and Congress failed to emerge as a credible alternative despite a strong campaign in favour of the coalition,” he said.<br /><br />Political observer Biswajit Bhattacharya pointed out that since the introduction of NOTA, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest such votes, primarily under the influence of Maoists. <br /><br />“In Bengal, there is no such catalyst. Yet, a significant number voted for NOTA. Most analysts thought the controversial Narada footage and flyover collapse in Kolkata would have an effect on the electorate in urban areas, where Mamata’s ‘dole politics’ did not play a role. While that did work to some extent, it was not enough to rescue the Left. The vote share of CPI, the oldest Left party in India, is testimony to that,” he said. <br /></div>
<div>In the chasm between the Trinamool Congress’ resounding victory and the Left’s rout lie more than eight lakh citizens who did not vote for either side. <br /><br />They opted for the None of The Above (NOTA) option, which analysts believe is a verdict against all the parties. A large number of voters in West Bengal opted for NOTA after it debuted on EVMs in the state this year. Although the figure is a staggering 8,31,845, NOTA’s vote share stands at a mere 1.52 per cent. <br /><br />While the CPI got 1.4 per cent, RSP got 1.7, which is slightly more than NOTA’s vote share. GJM, which rules the roost in Darjeeling Hills, got 0.5 per cent, and Independent candidates 2.2 per cent. Interestingly, NOTA votes in Bengal are nearly half of the total of such votes cast across the five states that went to polls.<br /><br />While the three hill seats registered the maximum number of NOTA votes, including 5,817 at Darjeeling, even in prominent flash points like Singur and Nandigram, a large number of voters opted fpr NOTA. <br /><br />The scene was no different in the 11 Kolkata constituencies, including at TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s home seat of Bhawanipore, where around 2,500 people voted for NOTA. The total NOTA votes cast in Kolkata stands at more than 30,000, with Nandigram recording the lowest at 1,278 among the prominent seats.<br /><br />Dissatisfied Voters <br />According to analyst Aloke Banerjee, a high volume of NOTA votes represents people’s dissatisfaction. “Interestingly, if the Opposition’s campaign on corruption against Trinamool had an effect on these voters, they decided to go with NOTA rather than vote for the Left or BJP. <br /><br />This means the Left and Congress failed to emerge as a credible alternative despite a strong campaign in favour of the coalition,” he said.<br /><br />Political observer Biswajit Bhattacharya pointed out that since the introduction of NOTA, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest such votes, primarily under the influence of Maoists. <br /><br />“In Bengal, there is no such catalyst. Yet, a significant number voted for NOTA. Most analysts thought the controversial Narada footage and flyover collapse in Kolkata would have an effect on the electorate in urban areas, where Mamata’s ‘dole politics’ did not play a role. While that did work to some extent, it was not enough to rescue the Left. The vote share of CPI, the oldest Left party in India, is testimony to that,” he said. <br /></div>
