EVM, VVPAT and NOTA in Indian Elections

EVM VVPAT NOTA together describe how a vote is cast, verified and, if a voter wishes, deliberately withheld in Indian elections. The Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is the device on which a voter records a choice; the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is an attachment that lets the voter confirm the machine recorded that choice correctly; and None Of The Above (NOTA) is the ballot option that lets a voter formally reject every contesting candidate. The three features work alongside each other in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections conducted by the Election Commission of India.

None of the Above (NOTA)

NOTA gives a voter a way to participate in an election without endorsing any of the contesting candidates. The option was made available for General Elections to State Legislative Assemblies in 2013, and it continued to be offered in the State Legislative Assembly elections of 2014 as well as in the General Elections to the Sixteenth Lok Sabha held the same year.

The presence of NOTA on the ballot does not change how a winner is determined. Even where the number of electors choosing NOTA exceeds the votes secured by every individual candidate, the candidate who has polled the largest number of votes among the contestants is still declared elected. In other words, a strong NOTA count records voter dissatisfaction but does not by itself trigger a fresh election or disqualify the leading candidate.

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT)

VVPAT is an independent system attached to EVMs that allows a voter to verify that the vote has been cast exactly as intended. When a voter presses the button for a candidate, the VVPAT unit prints a slip and displays it to the voter through a transparent window. The slip shows the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate chosen, and it stays visible for about seven seconds.

After this brief display window, the slip is automatically cut and falls into a sealed drop box inside the VVPAT machine, where it is preserved for record purposes. Because the printed slip reflects exactly what the EVM has registered, the system gives a voter a way to raise a challenge if the displayed slip does not match the choice actually made.

How the Three Pieces Fit Together

UPSC Relevance

Prelims

• NOTA was first offered in the General Elections to State Legislative Assemblies in 2013, and was next used in State Assembly elections and the 16th Lok Sabha election, both in 2014.
• A candidate is declared elected on securing the highest number of votes among contestants even if NOTA polls more votes than every individual candidate.
• The VVPAT slip remains visible to the voter for about seven seconds before it is cut and dropped into a sealed box.
• The VVPAT slip displays the serial number, name and symbol of the chosen candidate.

Mains

• Discuss how NOTA and VVPAT contribute to the transparency and credibility of the Indian electoral process.
• Evaluate whether the current legal effect of NOTA (no re-election even where NOTA outpolls every candidate) fulfils the purpose of giving voters a meaningful negative choice.

FAQ

Q1. What does NOTA mean in Indian elections? NOTA stands for None Of The Above. It is a ballot option that lets a voter indicate that they do not wish to vote for any of the contesting candidates.

Q2. If NOTA gets more votes than every candidate, is the election cancelled? No. The candidate who has polled the highest number of votes among the contestants is still declared elected, regardless of how many electors chose NOTA.

Q3. When was NOTA introduced in India? It was made available for the General Elections to State Legislative Assemblies in 2013 and continued in State Assembly elections and the General Elections to the Sixteenth Lok Sabha in 2014.

Q4. What is a VVPAT slip and how long can a voter see it? It is a paper slip printed by the VVPAT unit attached to an EVM, showing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate chosen. It remains visible to the voter through a transparent window for about seven seconds before being cut and dropped into a sealed box.

Q5. What is the purpose of attaching VVPAT to an EVM? VVPAT lets the voter independently verify that the vote registered by the EVM matches the candidate the voter actually selected.

Quick Revision

• EVM: records the vote electronically.
• VVPAT: independent paper-slip check attached to the EVM; slip visible for about seven seconds, then falls into a sealed box.
• NOTA: lets a voter reject all candidates; introduced for State Assembly elections in 2013, used again in 2014 State Assembly and 16th Lok Sabha elections.
• A high NOTA count does not stop the highest vote-getter from being declared elected.

Sources

• Election Commission of India — official website
• Handbook for Media – General Elections to the Seventeenth Lok Sabha (2019), Election Commission of India

Further Reference

For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:

• M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
• D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
• The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.

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