'Blank vote' arouses controversy in India's general election

NEW DELHI -- The casting of blank ballots is becoming an issue in the general election underway for the lower house of India's parliament, a vote that will determine the political direction of the world's most populous nation for the next five years.

The "none-of-the-above"(NOTA) option, which allows voters to reject all candidates, was introduced in 2013 to encourage more voters to cast ballots by increasing their range of choices. But some election observers question its fairness.