SRINAGAR : About 89 per cent candidates, who contested the Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir, forfeited their security deposits and these include all three candidates of Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DPAP, two candidates of BJP-backed Apni Party and PDP candidate from Baramulla seat. According to Election Commission of India data, a total of 100 candidates contested from five Lok Sabha seats in J&K --- Udhampur, Jammu, Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar and Baramulla.
Of the 100 contesting candidates, only BJP’s two winning candidates, NC’s two winning candidates, independent cand date Er Rashid, former CM Omar Abdullah, who lost election to Er Rashid, former CM and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti who lost to NC’s Mian Altaf and PDP leader Waheed Para who lost to NC’s Aga Ruhullah in Srinagar seat and Sajad Lone of Peoples Conference and two losing candidates of Congress from Jammu region managed to save their security while rest others forfeited their deposits.
A total of 89 candidates forfeited their security deposits after the election results as they could not secure 16.67% votes in the constituency needed to save security deposits.
Of them, three candidates belong to Azad’s DPAP --- Ghulam Nabi Saroori, who contested Udhampur LS seat and secured only 3.56% votes, Mohammad Saleem Parray who secured only 2.47% votes in Anantnag-Rajouri seat and Amir Ahmad Bhat who could only get 2.24% votes in Srinagar LS seat.
The BJP-backed Apni Party candidates also lost security deposits on both Anantnag and Srinagar LS seats.
Of the 100 candidates, 89 in J&K failed to get 16.67% of the total votes polled in their constituencies and forfeited their deposits. They included all the candidates fielded by J&K Apni Party of Syed Altaf Bukhari and Democratic Progressive Azad Party of Ghulam Nabi Azad, besides the PDP’s Baramulla candidate Mir Mohammad Fayaz. Similarly, 68 out of 100 candidates polled fewer than NOTA votes in five seats in the UT.