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This story is from May 25, 2019

Maharashtra elction results 2019: 85% candidates fail to secure enough votes, stand to lose security deposit

Nearly 85.81% candidates from the state are likely to lose their security deposit for failing to rack up at least one sixth of the votes polled in their respective constituencies.
Maharashtra elction results 2019: 85% candidates fail to secure enough votes, stand to lose security deposit
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PUNE: Nearly 85.81% candidates from the state are likely to lose their security deposit for failing to rack up at least one sixth of the votes polled in their respective constituencies.
Of the 867 candidates in the fray across the state, 744 candidates stand to lose the amount that will eventually go to the government exchequer.
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As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) rules, in an electoral system the deposit is the sum of money that a candidate pays the electoral authority before he or she is permitted to contest the polls.

“In the state, only the winning and trailing candidates across the 48 parliamentary constituencies will be able to get back their deposit amount. However, the remaining would have to forfeit this amount,” the election officials pointed out.
The purpose of the deposit is to reduce the prevalence of too many candidates in the fray with no realistic chance of garnering any votes. “If the candidate does not achieve the refund threshold, the deposit is forfeited. Although this has been the case since 1952, the number of candidates are on a rise and it is about time that the deposit amount is increased,” stated a poll analyst.

In Maharashtra, Beed had registered 36 candidates while Pune and Madha had 31 candidates followed by Kalyan and Hingoli with 28 candidates each.
Based on the data available, since 1951 over 60,000 candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections have lost their security deposit for failing to secure at least one sixth of the votes polled in their respective constituencies.
A majority of the contesting candidates, most of whom are independent candidates, tend to lose their security deposit. “There is a large share of those losing deposits once the number of candidates in the fray increase,” stated Anil Verma, head of the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR).
Over 700 candidates lost their deposit in the first general elections and the number has gradually increased to over 7,000 candidates across the country in the 2014 polls. There has also been a significant rise in the security deposit amount that used to be Rs500 for general category candidates and Rs250 for candidates from the Scheduled Caste and Schedules Tribe category. Now, the deposit amount for general candidates is Rs25,000 for general candidates and Rs12,500 and Rs5,000 for SC/ST candidates.
While the first three elections held in the country saw less than 50% candidates losing deposits, the highest numbers cropped up in 1991 when 7,486 of 8,668 candidates lost their security deposit as per statistics available with the ECI. The lowest numbers were seen in the 1957 polls when only 23.09% candidates lost the amount. In 2009, 6,829 of 8,070 candidates lost their deposit and in the last elections in 2014 the number was 84.83% as per election officials.
Further, election officials pointed out that too many independents rushing into elections without any intention of going through the contest seriously tends to confuse voters.
However independent candidates believe that it is their democratic right that cannot be denied. Vijayprakash Zayosho, who has been contesting as an independent candidate for the last several elections feels that contesting the elections is his right. He polled 298 votes in the present elections and would stand to lose his deposit.
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