Supreme Court says no NOTA in Rajya Sabha elections

The Supreme Court ruled that during Rajya Sabha polls, the MLA can either cast vote for a candidate, or will boycott from voting. NOTA shall no longer be an option.

The Supreme Court of India. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that NOTA (None of the above) option will no longer hold any relevance in the Rajya Sabha elections, citing that the same should be applied in direct polls only. This comes after last year Rajya Sabha elections Gujarat, Congress leader Shailesh Parmar filed a petition against the provision of NOTA. But, the court had refused to oppose the same. During the hearing, the court said the Rajya Sabha election process is already difficult, and NOTA will increase its difficulty. The Supreme Court ruled that during Rajya Sabha polls, the MLA can either cast vote for a candidate, or will boycott from voting. NOTA shall no longer be an option. Supreme Court further ruled that NOTA should only be kept for direct polls.