Demonetisation effect: Fewer candidates fought 2017 UP poll

Number of contestants down 30% to 4,823 this year, from 6,839 in 2012

Up assembly polls, Women, queue, Amethi, fifth phase, Assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh

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Women queue up at a polling booth in Amethi during the fifth phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Photo: PTI

Virendra Singh Rawat Lucknow

Last Updated : Mar 06 2017 | 5:45 PM IST

Call it the demonetisation effect or otherwise -- the number of candidates fighting the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly poll fell by 30 per cent from the previous 2012 election.

Against a total number of 6,839 candidates fighting the 2012 UP poll on party symbols or as independents, the corresponding number has dropped significantly to 4,823 in 2017.

The number of contestants fell drastically even if one factored in the pre-poll alliances of Congress-Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bharatiya Janata Party-Apna Dal in UP. There are a total of 403 assembly seats in the state.

Interestingly, there was a jump of over 52 per cent