Over 2,100 candidates lose deposits in past Chhattisgarh Assembly elections

More than 2,100 candidates have lost their deposits in the four Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, according to the officials in the electoral office. It facilitated Election Commission of India (ECI) to forfeit over Rs 2.10 crore.

Of the candidates who failed to save their deposits, 1,400 were contested as independents while 700 were affiliated to regional parties. The number of independent candidates losing the security were 98 per cent of the total independent candidates.

In the last four elections in the state, only Vimal Chopra had won from the Mahasamund Assembly constituency as an independent.

According to section 34(1)(a) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, the candidate contesting an Assembly election has to deposit Rs 10,000 as security. For Lok Sabha elections, the amount is Rs 25,000.

 

The provision was made to ensure only serious candidates file nominations to contest elections.

The candidate contesting the election has to secure one-sixth of the total valid votes franchised in the constituency. Failing which, the amount deposited is seized by the ECI. For example, if 100,000 votes were casted in an Assembly seat, a candidate must secure more than 16,666 valid votes to save the security deposit.

Chhattisgarh, which goes to polls in two phases on November 7 and 17, has witnessed a bipolar politics with the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as main contenders. The Bahujan Samaj Part (BSP), Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also tried to enter the state politics. Though the NCP made its presence in 2003 by winning Chandrapur, both the parties remained far behind the Congress and the BJP in the subsequent elections.

The electoral officials said all necessary preparation had been made to ensure a free and fair election. In the Maoists-affected Konta constituency, a polling booth has been located at a place where parties would be dropped to facilitate only 12 voters to exercise their franchise.

Officials said besides Indian Air Force choppers, an air ambulance would be stationed at Jagdalpur to deal with any eventuality in the red zone.