Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat cast his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation polls on Thursday and remarked that choosing the NOTA option indirectly helps promote an unwanted candidate.
Bhagwat was among the early voters in the Nagpur civic body polls. He went to a polling booth in the Mahal area of Maharashtra's Nagpur city at around 7.30 am and exercised his franchise.
Later, speaking to reporters, Bhagwat 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 said.
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, emphasised 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. -- PTI
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