Jorhat, Aug. 17: For the first time, the students of Jorhat College exercised the voter's right to reject all candidates - NOTA (none of the above) - contesting the students' union elections that was held on Friday. The results of the election were declared today.

Girls dominated the polls by securing six of the 10 posts of the union, although only three were reserved for girls under the policy of 33 per cent representation of women in the union. Forty-three voters had opted for the NOTA option.

College authorities have decided to nominate a girl on the basis of her merit to the post of debating secretary as election to that post was not held after the nomination papers of the two candidates for the post were found invalid.

Principal of the college Prof. Devabrata Sharma told The Telegraph that the decision to introduce NOTA option was taken after several rounds of consultation with teachers, non-teaching staff and outgoing students' union.

"We want to make the upcoming generation more conscious of their rights as they will have the same option while electing MLAs, MPs and representatives to civic and panchayat bodies. Many students will be voting for the first time in next year's Assembly polls as they were not eligible to participate in last year's parliamentary elections in which the NOTA was introduced," Sharma said.

He said Jorhat Jatiya Vidayalaya - a private school run by a non-profit organisation - had introduced the NOTA option during their students' union elections in April and this inspired the college to introduce NOTA.

Sharma said associate professor Rupali Borah and lecturer Anjan Saikia of the political science department had carried out a training programme in the classes on NOTA and the need to participate in the voting process.

Associate professor (economics) Mouchumi Mahanta, who was in charge of conducting the polls, said elections were held to two posts (general secretary and cultural secretary) as candidates in the eight posts got elected unopposed and of the eight, five were girls. She said among the polls held for two posts, a girl was elected as the cultural secretary. Mahanta said out of 43 NOTA votes cast, 15 were for the post of general secretary and 28 for cultural secretary.

Out of a total of 1,132 eligible votes, 638 votes were cast of which 23 votes were found to be invalid. She said the voting percentage this year - 56.36 per cent - was much higher than in the previous year (below 40 per cent).

Sharma said another pioneering step initiated by the college earlier this year was to have at least 33 per cent representation of women in its internal committees. In about 25 internal committees and cells, the representation of women was more than 33 per cent.

Jorhat College also opened its doors to transgender students this year, making it the first college in Assam to do so.