Civic polls: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat casts vote, says NOTA choice indirectly promotes unwanted candidates

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat cast his vote in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) 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 the city 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.

#WATCH | Nagpur, Maharashtra | After casting his vote, RSS Chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat says, "In a democratic setup, voting is essential to elect the government, and hence it is the duty of every citizen. With a balanced view and people's welfare in mind, it is our duty to vote for… https://t.co/SKhp6wTrDm pic.twitter.com/V8F6o0roEI

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2026

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.

In the last NMC elections, BJP won 108 out of the total 151 seats, Congress 28, BSP 10 Shiv Sena (then undivided) 2 and NCP (undivided) 1.