Losing Security Deposit in Elections | Haryana | 09 Oct 2024
Why in News?
Recently, despite a significant push in Haryana, a political party failed to win any seats in the local elections, resulting in the forfeiture of candidates' security deposits due to not meeting the required vote percentage.
Key Points
- Security Deposit Mandate:
- As per the Representation of People Act, 1951, candidates must deposit a security amount when contesting elections.
- For Parliamentary elections: Rs. 25,000; for Assembly elections: Rs. 10,000.
- This ensures that only genuinely committed candidates submit nominations.
- Forfeiture of Security Deposit:
- A candidate must secure at least one-sixth (16.67%) of the total valid votes cast to retain the deposit, If not, the deposit is forfeited to the Election Commission.
- Example Calculation:
- In an Assembly seat with 200,000 votes, candidates must secure over 33,332 votes to avoid losing their deposit.
The Representation of the People Act (RPA),1951
- It regulates the actual conduct of elections and by-elections.
- RPA, 1951 provides administrative machinery for conducting elections.
- It deals with the registration of political parties.
- This specifies the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of the Houses.
- It provides provisions to curb corrupt practices and other offences.
- It lays down the procedure for settling doubts and disputes arising out of elections.