NOTA fuels fear of misuse in conflict zones

Even as the Supreme Court's direction to the Election Commission (EC) to include a "none of the above" (NOTA) button on electronic voting machines (EVMs) is being welcomed as a triumph for democracy, apprehensions are being raised by some quarters about the likely misuse of this provision in areas affected by insurgency or extremism. There is a fear that secessionists in Jammu & Kashmir, which has seen candidates winning with as low as 8% voteshare, may force people to increasingly select the NOTA option to discredit the democratic exercise in the border state. 

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