The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), right wing student body caravan trundles along - to the tune of 'agar NOTA nahi hota…' National Secretary or Rashtriya Mahamantri of the ABVP Ashish Chauhan, laughs at that. Chauhan is in Mumbai after touring the North East. "We are exhorting the young especially on the campus to vote in these elections. Our slogan is, 'Nation First, Voting Must' said Chauhan from the Dadar office of the ABVP, which is a whirl of activity. An interview:

On why NOTA is not an option…

We want people to say no to NOTA, as research has shown that even if NOTA is the highest polled option, it does not change the result. The candidate that gets the highest number of votes after the NOTA poll wins, so it is not a productive option. (NOTA stands for 'None of the above', and is a ballot option designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of candidates).