RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat shows his ink marked finger after casting vote at a polling station during the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said “choosing the Nota option indirectly helps promote an unwanted candidate” as he cast his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).Bhagwat was among the early voters in the Nagpur civic body polls. He went to a polling booth in the Mahal area of the city around 7.30 am and exercised his franchise.The RSS chief said elections are a mandatory part of democracy and hence, voting is the responsibility of all citizens.He appealed to electors that keeping the public interest in mind, everyone should vote for a suitable candidate during the elections.”Hence, today the first thing I did was to vote,” the RSS chief was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.On the None of the Above option available to voters in elections, he said, “Nota means you reject everyone, and by doing so, we promote a person who is not wanted.”He said Nota is an option given to people to express their displeasure, but it is better to vote for someone than not have anyone.Former RSS general secretary and central committee member Bhaiyaji Joshi, who was also among the early voters, stated the importance of voting in elections. He said that in a democracy, governments are formed by the people’s mandate, often expressed through elections where citizens vote for their representatives.”We want everyone should exercise their right to vote in a democracy. A government is formed by the people’s mandate in a democracy and it is expected that an elected government fulfils the people’s expectations,” Joshi said.In the last NMC elections, BJP won 108 out of the total 151 seats, Congress 28, BSP 10 Shiv Sena (then undivided) 2 and NCP (undivided) 1.
