78% candidates forfeit deposit

Out of the total 672 candidates who were in fray in the Delhi assembly polls, 529 contestants, including those of national parties, lost their deposits, as per figures

Out of the total 672 candidates who were in fray in the Delhi assembly polls, 529 contestants, including those of national parties, lost their deposits, as per figures from the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO). The results to the assembly elections were declared on Tuesday.

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A candidate has to deposit a sum of ₹10,000 while filing their nominations. The deposit of a candidate is forfeited if he/she fails to secure one-sixth (16.66%) of the total valid votes cast in a constituency. The forfeited deposits go to the national treasury.

Besides the Congress party that bagged less than 5% of the total votes polled and 67 of its candidates had to forfeit their deposits (including four of its ally the Rashtriya Janata Dal [RJD]). All candidates fielded by four other national parties could not save their deposits.

“At least 78% of the total candidates in fray had their deposits forfeited,” said a poll official. In 2015 polls, 525 of the total 673 candidates contesting the polls had lost their deposits.

These political parties include --- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist). The BSP, which had last bagged two seats in 2008 and had emerged as the third largest party then with a vote share of 14.05%, had fielded 68 candidates, all of who lost their deposits. The party’s vote shared reduced to 0.71% in the 2020 assembly polls, as against 1.3% in 2015 polls.

“We had not expected such a result. This time we were hopeful of giving a good fight on two seats --- Badarpur and Sangam Vihar. However, we will keep fighting to keep our movement alive,” said CP Singh, BSP’s Delhi convener.

The NCP had fielded five candidates while the CPI and CPI (M) each had fielded three, all of who lost their deposits. Also, as many as 148 Independent candidates in the fray too had their deposits forfeited and remained far behind in the race.

The NCP got a vote share of 0.02%, CPI got 0.02% and the CPI (M) 0.01%.

Besides, 88 ‘other recognised parties’, including Aapki Apni Party (Peoples) and Aam Janta Party (India), Peoples Party of India (Democratic), Rashtriya Rashtrawadi Party, Tipu Sultan Party, Swaraj India Purvanchal Janta Party, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and Rashtriya Mazdoor Ekta Party, among others, too could not save their deposits.

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