Goa result highlights: Maximum voters going for NOTA

NEW DELHI: Goa has come up on top when it comes to voters hitting the NOTA button in the latest round of assembly polls, closely followed by Uttarakhand.

In Goa, 1.2 per cent of the voters chose NOTA (None of the Above), followed by 1 per cent in Uttarakhand, latest data available with the Election Commission of India showed.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP swept the election, the percentage of voters who opted for NOTA was 0.9 per cent.

The figure stood at 0.7 per cent in Punjab while around 0.5 per cent of the people who exercised their voting right in Manipur chose NOTA.

While more than 4,800 candidates were in the fray in UP, Goa saw over 250 contestants. More than 600 people contested in Uttarakhand and over 1,100 in Punjab. Nearly 100 persons stood for the election in Manipur.

There are 40 constituencies in Goa, 70 in Uttarakhand, 60 in Manipur, 117 in Punjab and 403 in Uttar Pradesh.

BJP recorded stunning victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand while Congress wrested Punjab from SAD-BJP alliance, which has been ruling the state for 10 years.

Both in Manipur and Goa, the elections have thrown up split verdicts with a slight edge for the Congress.