In the recent Bihar Assembly elections, 8 out of every 10 candidates lost their security deposits by failing to secure at least one-sixth of the total votes in their constituencies. Out of 2,616 candidates who contested for the 243 seats, a staggering 2,107 candidates forfeited their deposits of Rs 10,000 each, representing 80.5% of all participants. The Election Commission collected Rs 2.62 crore in total deposits, with forfeitures amounting to Rs 2.12 crore. Independent candidates suffered the highest losses, with 98.9% losing their deposits. Among political parties, Prashant Kishor's debutant Jan Suraaj saw the worst performance, with 236 out of 238 candidates forfeiting deposits. The BSP, AAP, and several smaller parties also recorded high forfeiture rates, while the NDA faced no such losses.
Major Parties and Alliances Suffer Heavy Deposit Losses
Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj recorded the highest forfeiture rate among parties, with 99.16% of its candidates losing deposits. The BSP lost deposits of 176 candidates out of 181, while AAP's all 83 candidates forfeited theirs in their debut Bihar election. Tej Pratap Yadav's Janshakti Janata Dal saw 95.56% of its nominees lose deposits. Within the Mahagathbandhan alliance, 13 candidates from five parties forfeited deposits, including five from Congress, four from CPI, two from VIP, one from IIP, and one from RJD. Meanwhile, no NDA candidate lost their deposit. The AIMIM saw 19 of its 28 candidates forfeit deposits despite winning five seats. Independent candidates collectively recorded 915 forfeitures out of 925 total nominees.
Source: Link