Several candidates lost their security deposists after the Lok Sabha elections 2024 results were declared on June 4. This comes as the Election Commission's regulations stipulate that the candidates who were unable to secure a minimum one-sixth of the total votes polled, will have to give up their security deposists, which are then redirected to the treasury.
Amongst those who lost their deposists were three transgender candidates, eight BRS candidates, and almost 91 percent of those who contested in Delhi elections.
For general category candidates the security deposit is Rs 25,000, and for those contesting from SC and ST communities, the security deposit is Rs 12,500.
91% Candidates Who Contested From Delhi Lost Security Deposits
After BJP's clean sweep in the national capital, 91 percent of the candidates on Delhi's seven seats, i.e. 148 out of 162 candidates, lost their security deposits in the Lok Sabha elections, as per the EC, news agency PTI reported.
However in New Delhi 15, Chandani Chowk 23, South Delhi 20, West Delhi 22, North East Delhi 26, East Delhi 18, and North West Delhi 24 candidates maanged to forfeited their deposit.
In Delhi, the ruling AAP was contesting in alliance with the Congress on four-three formula. However, the saffron party made a clean sweep in all seven seats in Delhi.
Besides the winners (BJP) and runners-up (AAP-Congress alliance), all the remaining contenders in the seven seats were unable to save their security deposit.
BSP candidates,who were contesting on all seven seats, remained on the third position.
Except for the 14 candidates who were either winners and runners-up, none of the others managed to cross the 20,000 votes figure.
An independent candidate from Chandani Chowk, Ashok Kumar Gupta, managed to secure just 140 votes, the lowest in the tally of votes in all seven constituencies.
Transgender Candidates Who Lost Security Deposits
The three transgender candidates who contested the Lok Sabha elections 2024 lost their security deposits, after failing to secure the minimum votes required, PTI reported.
This demonstrates the challenges faced by the transgender community in gaining political representation in the country.
India is yet to see a transgender person elected to the Lok Sabha. All the three transgender candidates contested as independents.
Sunaina Kinnar, who contested from Dhanbad, received 3,462 votes. Rajan Singh, a candidate from South Delhi, garnered 325 votes. Durga Mausi, who stood for election from Damoh (Madhya Pradesh), secured 1,124 votes.
Despite their efforts, none of the candidates came even close to winning, and all failed to retain their security deposits.
Candidates Who Lost Deposists In Telangana
In Telangana, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi was not only defeated on all the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies it contested, but eight of its candidates also ended up losing their security deposits, the Deccan Chronicle reported.
Among the list of the BRS candidates who lost their deposits, Gaddam Srinivas Yadav, party's candidate from Hyderabad, managed to bag 18,641 votes, becoming the BRS candidate to secure the least number of votes.
Other deposit losers who joined him were Congress candidate from Hyderabad constituency Md Waliullah Sameer. Two BJP candidates Vinod Rao Tandra from Khammam and Prof Azmeera Seetaram Naik from Mahbubabad also lost their deposists.
The other BRS candidates who lost their security deposits included Bajireddy Goverdhan Reddy (Nizamabad), Athram Sakku (Adilabad), Ragidi Laxma Reddy (Malkajgiri), Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj (Chevella), T. Padma Rao Goud (Secunderabad), Gali Anil Kumar (Zaheerabad), and Manne Srinivas Reddy (Mahbubnagar), the report noted.