In the Lok Sabha elections, almost 7,200 candidates lost deposits totaling Rs 16.4 crore.
With 476 of its 488 candidates losing their election deposits for not receiving at least one-sixth of the vote share in their constituencies, the BSP led the list of parties.
According to data released by the Election Commission (EC), 7,194 contestants, or 86.1% of all candidates, lost their security deposits, which totaled Rs 16.36 crore out of the 8,360 candidates running for the 543 seats in the just ended Lok Sabha elections. Sixty percent of the legal votes cast in each of these candidates' constituencies were not received by them.
Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, candidates for India's general elections must pay a security deposit of Rs 25,000 with the electoral authority. To guarantee that only genuine candidates submit nominations to run in elections, the EC requires that a security deposit be made.
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