**JAMMU, June 7:** NOTA Gains Traction in Jammu and Kashmir Lok Sabha Polls
According to Election Commission data, 68% of the total 100 candidates contesting on Jammu and Kashmir’s five Lok Sabha seats received fewer votes than the “None Of The Above” (NOTA) option, indicating voter dissatisfaction with the available choices.
Across the five constituencies, a cumulative total of 34,788 voters opted for NOTA, signaling their rejection of candidates fielded by political parties.
Udhampur constituency in the Jammu region saw the highest number of NOTA votes, with 12,938 ballots cast in its favor. In this constituency, NOTA received more votes than nine out of the 11 other candidates.
Similarly, in the Jammu seat, 4,645 voters chose NOTA, surpassing the individual votes garnered by 18 candidates out of 22 in the fray.
In Srinagar, NOTA received 5,998 votes, surpassing the votes obtained by 18 out of the 24 candidates.
Anantnag-Rajouri and Baramulla constituencies also witnessed significant support for NOTA, with 6,223 and 4,984 votes respectively, outstripping the votes secured by several candidates.
Out of the total 100 candidates, 68 received fewer votes than NOTA, as per the analysis of EC data.
In the Ladakh Union territory, which was part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir until its reorganization in August 2019, only 912 voters opted for NOTA. This constituency had three candidates, all of whom received more votes than NOTA.
