Uttar Pradesh: Only 5 candidates polled more votes than NOTA in Ghazipur

There were a total of 14 candidates in the poll fray from the Ghazipur parliamentary seat from various political parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 'gathbandhan,' Indian National Congress, Communist Party, Communist Party (M-L), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL), some regional parties and Independent candidates.

A large number of people opted for the NOTA button at the Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat while nine candidates were left far behind in the poll race by the votes which went into the favour of NOTA and only five candidates were able to garner more votes than NOTA.

In an electoral landscape which largely turned saffron, the people of Ghazipur interestingly made SP-BSP candidate Afzal Ansari victorious who secured 51.29 per cent votes and was thus elected the MP. On the other hand, BJP candidate Manoj Sinha won 40.29 per cent votes.

Mr Ansari was declared winner by 1,20,956 votes. By not extending support to any candidate whosoever, 6,831 people opted for NOTA.

The amount of support garnered by the NOTA option can be gauged from the fact that it got more votes than total nine candidates, including Shivpal Yadav's newly-floated party PSPL, CPI (M-L).