Ludhiana, June 24 -- In a clear display of public discontent, voters in Ludhiana West bypoll preferred the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option over all eight independent candidates and two regional parties Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and the National Lok Seva Party (NLSP), registering a strong disapproval for lesser known political alternatives.

According to figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 793 voters pressed the NOTA button, accounting for 0.87% of the total vote share. This is slightly more than the combined votes received by all the eight Independent candidates in the fray, which stood at a mere 776.

Notably, in this four-cornered contest dominated by mainstream political parties, NOTA emerged a...