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Record number of Independents in fray

PUDUCHERRY: Besides four candidates belonging to mainstream political parties and six nominees of registered State political parties, there are a record number of Independents contesting the Lok Sabha polls.

As per the final list of candidates released by the Election Department on Monday, there are 18 candidates contesting as Independents, 17 of them hailing from the Puducherry region and one from Karaikal.

The number of Independents contesting in the 2009 parliamentary elections is four more than the previous Lok Sabha polls.

There were 14 candidates contesting as Independents in the 2004 elections. Of the total votes of 4,84,316 polled in the last Lok Sabha polls, the maximum number of votes an Independent received was 10,930.

In the 1999 Lok Sabha polls, out of the total valid votes of 4,44,162, the maximum votes an Independent received was 9,452.

Except for the two Independents in fray during the 2004 and 1999 parliamentary elections, none of the Independents managed to get around two per cent of valid votes in the past elections.

According to officials in the Election Department, a candidate in the fray had to get six per cent of the total votes polled to retain the deposit amount.

Election rules prescribe that a person contesting the election had to deposit an amount of Rs. 10,000.

Apart from the deposit amount, Independent candidates would have to spend a few more thousands as “extra expense to get supporters” for filing nomination.

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