Independent candidates always lost their security deposits in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, May 9

For the lone Lok Sabha seat in the city, candidates contesting the election as Independent and those from smaller parties have always got their deposits forfeited. In the past three parliamentary elections, only two or three candidates were able to save their security deposit. Still, many Independent candidates try their luck at the battle of ballots.

A candidate has to deposit a security of Rs 25,000 to fight the election, while the security deposit for the reserved category is 50% less. To save the deposit, it is mandatory for a candidate to get 10% of the total votes polled.

AAP candidate failed to save deposit in 2019

• In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, even the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate and former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan had lost his security deposit.
• AAP had got 3.2% votes, while the BJP got 50.64% and the Congress 40.35%. The remaining votes were received by remaining 33 candidates.
• The 2019 Lok Sabha elections had seen the highest number of candidates in the city with 36 contestants were in fray.

Money matters

A candidate has to deposit a security of Rs 25,000 to fight the election, while the security deposit for the reserved category is 50% less. To save the deposit, a candidate has to get at least 10% of the total votes polled.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, even the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate and former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan had lost his security deposit. AAP had got 3.2% votes, while the BJP got 50.64% and Congress 40.35%. The remaining votes were received by remaining 33 candidates. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections had seen the highest number of candidates in the city with 36 contestants were in fray.

Bansal elected most number of times

The election to the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency is being held since 1967. The BJP has won the last two Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2019), while Congress leader and former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has got the opportunity to become MP from the city four times. While Kirron Kher, Satya Pal Jain and Jagannath Kaushal were elected from the city twice. Bansal has also got the opportunity to contest elections the maximum times. He had fought the poll on the Congress ticket eight times.