Poll deposits of 7 BJP candidates forfeited
KOLKATA: Seven candidates from the BJP suffered humiliating defeats and had their deposits forfeited during the recently-concluded Bengal Assembly elections. The results revealed that the saffron party's nominees from Bhaganbangola, Lalgola, Raghunathganj, Canning East, Bhangar, Hariharpara and Sujapur met such fate.
The BJP candidate from Bhagabangola Assembly constituency in Murshidabad, Mehbub Alam, managed to get 16,707 votes and lost to TMC's Idris Ali by a margin of 137088 votes. Mehbub's vote was only 7.2 per cent of the total votes cast (225990.)
The BJP candidate from Sujapur Assembly constituency in Malda district lost to TMC by a margin of 137656 votes. TMC candidate Md Abdul Ghani got 152445 votes while Sk Ziauddin managed to get only 14789 votes, which is 7.1 per cent of total votes polled.
Abdul Khaleque Mollah, the TMC candidate from Metiabruz in South 24-Parganas, defeated his nearest rival Ramjit Prasad of BJP by a margin of 84282 votes. Prasad got only 31357 votes, which was 16 per cent of the total votes cast. The TMC candidate from Canning East Assembly constituency in South 24-Parganas — Soakat Molla defeated his nearest rival Kalipada Naskar of BJP by a margin of 87059 votes. Naskar got 34503 votes which is 14.5 per cent of the total votes. Similarly, the BJP candidate from Raghunathganj Assembly constituency in Murshidabad Golam Mudassar got 28251 votes, which is 14.9 per cent of the total votes polled. TMC candidate Akruzzaman was far ahead of him with 126834 votes. Similarly, the BJP candidate Kalpana Ghosh from Lalgola in Murshidabad district lost to his TMC rival Ali Mohammad by a margin of 78363 votes getting only 15.4 per cent votes.
BJP's Soumi Hati acquired the third position from Bhangar Assembly constituency in South 24-Parganas by getting 38726 votes which is 15.99 per cent of the total votes. ISF candidate Md Nausad won after getting 109063 votes from Bhangar.
A candidate has to submit an amount of money as a deposit while submitting his/her nomination. According to Election Commission rules in the state Assembly elections, the amount is Rs 10,000 for general candidates and Rs 5000 for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes' candidates. As it is caution money, the EC returns the money to the candidate. But as per poll panel's rule, if a candidate fails to get 1/6 (16.5 per cent) of the total valid votes polled in that constituency, then the amount deposited by the candidate is not refunded by the Commission.
