NOTA finds 3,000 takers

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, December 18

For the first time, the NOTA (none of the above) option made its way in the Municipal Corporation polls. Several youths, some along with their families, opted for it to express their dissatisfaction over the candidates.

According to the figures received from the district administration, NOTA drew over 3,000 votes and those who opted for it said lack of development and false claims made by candidates, who disappear after assuming power, drove them to vote for the none of them.

The young voters said the political parties, be it the Congress or the SAD-BJP alliance, had always ignored the core issues concerning the people of the district. They say it has been now a normal routine for them to make promises before elections, but no change is witnessed later on.

“I never go for any political party. I see the candidates and their capability to bring a change. Women candidates, who have been used merely as a card by ex-councillors just to win seats, have in fact no vision or knowledge of the areas they are contesting in,” said Harneet Kaur of New Kailash Nagar.

“The city will witness the sixth House of the MC, but the issues are same — inappropriate roads and streets, lack of potable water supply, stray cattle menace and dangling wires. What development the candidates are boasting of? Nothing concrete has been done in two decades,” Satnam Kaur (57) from Aman Garden area.

“I chose NOTA as I was not willing to vote for any of the candidates in my ward. This is an option which empowers me as a voter to reject the candidates who don’t deserve to be councillors,” said Simar Chhabra of industrial area.

Another resident, Anshpreet Singh, said while criticising the leaders, “All street lights in our area are non-functional while roads are in a poor shape. All through these five years, we never saw these politicians, who are now chanting ‘Mera Ward, Mera Pariwar’ (My ward, my family). It is the disappointing reality. NOTA has empowered us to express our dismay at them by voting for none.”