ADR organised a webinar on “Is it time to give NOTA more teeth?” on 10th June 2025.

Click here for the agenda.

To attend the webinar, click on any of the following social media icons:

1. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxy1V977RxA 
2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1479112310163097 
3. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7336356105809227776/ 

Media Coverage:

1. Livemint: Is the Election Commission of India doing enough for electoral reforms? Ashok Lavasa weighs in
2. The Week: Time to consider reforms that make NOTA more impactful Ex-EC Ashok Lavasa
3. Menafn: Is Election Commission Of India Doing Enough For Electoral Reforms? Ashok Lavasa Weighs In
4. The Print: नोटा को अधिक प्रभावी बनाने वाले सुधारों पर विचार करने का समय: पूर्व निर्वाचन आयुक्त अशोक लवासा
5. The Print: Time to consider reforms that make NOTA more impactful: Ex-EC Ashok Lavasa
6. Nagaland Post: Time to consider reforms that make NOTA more impactful: Ex-EC Ashok Lavasa
7. Latestly: Time to Consider Reforms That Make NOTA More Impactful: Ex-EC Ashok Lavasa
8. Devdiscourse: Revamping NOTA: Empowering Voter Rejection in Indian Elections

The focus points for the webinar are as follows:

1. Is NOTA useful/successful as a tool for decriminalisation of Indian politics?
2. Relevance of NOTA as People's Right to Reject
3. Opting NOTA option when a candidate stands unopposed
4. The legal framework of NOTA
5. In 2018, the Maharashtra and Haryana State Election Commissioners ordered that re-elections would be held in case NOTA secured more votes than the candidates in the local body elections. Can the ECI use its power under Article 324 of the Constitution on similar lines?

Moderator: Dr Ajit Ranade (Founder Member & Trustee of ADR)

Speakers:

1. Shri Ashok Lavasa (former Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India)
2. Shri Ghanshyam Tiwari (National Spokesperson, Samajwadi Party)
3. Ms Anjali Bhardwaj (Social Activist)
4. Shri Manu Sebastian (Managing Editor, Live Law)