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| Over 80 % candidates forfeited deposits in 2009 General elections | | Yet poll arena attracts as many to jump into fray | | Kunal Shrivatsa
JAMMU, Mar 25: It may sound strange but it is true that more than 80 percent of the contesting candidates who fought General Elections, 2009 from six different Lok Sabha constituencies of the State had to forfeit their deposits as they failed to garner the requisite percentage of votes to secure their deposits.
With a total of 81 candidates representing national parties, state parties, registered (unrecognized) parties and independents were in the fray for the six Lok Sabha seats in 2009, as many as 67 candidates lost their deposits which means a staggering 82.71 percent of the total contesting candidates forfeited their deposits.
In the last elections, 8 out of 13 nominees belonging to national parties, 5 out of 11 candidates of the state parties, all 29 candidates representing registered (unrecognized) parties and 25 independents out of 28 forfeited their deposits since they failed to accumulate compulsory 1/6th votes (prescribed limit to secure deposits) of the total valid votes polled.
In Jammu-Poonch LoK Sabha constituency, 21 candidates including a woman were in the fray out of which 19 including the lone woman candidate forfeited their deposits while in Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency 14 candidates including a woman contested the election.
Here again the scenario was dismal as 12 candidates including the lone woman candidate forfeited their deposits.
In Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, 5 candidates including a woman fought the elections from this Lok Sabha segment where only one candidate's deposits got forfeited.
In Anantnag Parliamentary constituency, 11 out of 13 contesting candidates had to forfeit their deposits while in Srinagar as many as 13 candidates forfeited their deposits where a total of 15 candidates including two women contestants, who also failed to secure their deposits, tried their luck at the hustings.
In the Baramulla Lok Sabha segment, 13 candidates including a woman were in the fray. 10 male candidates and the lone woman candidate forfeited their deposits from this segment.
If one takes a glance at the national level, the figures are grimmer as 84.6 percent of the total candidates who contested the 2009-Lok Sabha elections forfeited their deposits. Out of the total 8070 candidates, a high number of 6829 candidates had to forfeit their deposits.
It may be mentioned that as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, it is mandatory for a contesting candidate of a Lok Sabha seat to deposit a sum of Rs 25,000 at the time of filing nomination and if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or Schedule Tribe category, he or she has to deposit fifty percent less to fight the election.
The amount deposited at the time of nomination gets forfeited if the candidate gets less than 1/6th of the total valid votes polled in a particular constituency.
Interestingly, the amount forfeited by a candidate goes to the kitty of Government chest while the candidates, who manage to secure votes more than the prescribed limit, are eligible to get back the amount deposited. |
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