86.17% candidates lost security deposits in Lok Sabha polls, says EC

Nearly 86% of the candidates contesting Lok Sabha elections in 2019 lost deposits.

As many as 7,193 (86.17%) candidates, who contested the Lok Sabha elections from national parties, lost their security deposits, according to the Election Commission data.

The BSP, which fielded 488 candidates, saw 97.5% of them lose their deposits. This was followed by 57.69% of CPIM, 33.33% of NPP, 10.41% of Trinamool Congress, 7.9% of Congress and 6.12% of BJP candidates.

A report by PRS Legislative Research stated that over 8,000 candidates contested in the Lok Sabha elections of which 16% were fielded by national parties, 6% by state parties, while 47% of candidates were independents.

What does losing a deposit in an election mean?

According to the Representation of People Act, 1951, every candidate contesting a Parliamentary or Assembly election must deposit a certain security amount.

To contest a Parliamentary election, the amount is Rs 25,000 and for an Assembly election it is Rs 10,000. This amount is deposited with the Election Commission and is called a security deposit. The deposit amount is mandated to ensure only serious candidates file nomination to contest elections. The Election Commission takes many steps to conduct free and fair parliamentary and assembly elections in the country. Depositing of a security amount is one such measure.

If the candidate gets less than one-sixth of the total number of valid votes cast in the constituency, his/her security deposit will be lost. This means that the candidate who had deposited Rs 25,000 or Rs 10,000 or any other amount would not be refunded by the Election Commission of India.

For example, if 200,000 votes were cast in an Assembly seat, to save the security deposit, every candidate would have to secure one-sixth of the total number of valid votes cast. It means every candidate must secure more than 33,332 votes.

In the first Lok Sabha elections in 1951-52, almost 40% of the total candidates lost their deposits, according to Business Standard. Nearly 86% of the candidates contesting Lok Sabha elections in 2019 lost deposits, according to a report released by the Election Commission.