Summary:
PUNE: The State Election Commission (SEC) has sought legal opinion for conducting re-election for constituencies registering a high percentage of None of the Above ( NOTA ) votes.SEC commissioner JS Saharia told TOI on Saturdaythat they have sought advice from the legal counsel regarding the issue as they have recorded increasing NOTA votes polled in corporation and even in panchayat polls.“We have already sought legal opinion on the issue. We are awaiting a final verdict and are also checking the provisions under the existing legal framework,” Saharia said.In February this year, Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao had also called for deliberation over the role of NOTA votes in the polling system. State government officials said the ECI has to take a final decision on the issue aheadof theLok Sabha and assembly elections in 2019. “This demand was agreed upon by political parties and NGOs in meetings on electoral reforms,” SEC officials said.A recent report by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) that works on political and electoral reforms had recommended re-elections in constituencies registering more NOTA votes. Meanwhile, voters must fill Form 7 if they have voting rights in another city/state, and file an application stating they have requested for name deletion in the area..