A total of 455 out of the 722 candidates who contested the recent Assam Legislative Assembly election forfeited their security deposits after failing to secure the required number of votes. Among them were four candidates from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 18 from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 10 each from Indian National Congress and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), 16 from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), and seven from United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). Besides them, 248 independent candidates and 102 candidates from registered but unrecognized parties also lost their deposits. The list included 418 male and 37 female candidates. The election results witnessed massive winning margins for both NDA and Opposition candidates, reflecting a high level of political polarization in the state. As per election rules, the security deposit for an Assembly election is Rs 5,000 for general category candidates and Rs 2,500 for candidates belonging to SC and ST categories. Under Section 158(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a defeated candidate forfeits the deposit if he or she fails to secure more than one-sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency.
This year, 722 candidates contested the elections, averaging six candidates per constituency. Two constituencies had as many as 15 contestants, while nine constituencies witnessed direct contests between only two candidates. Candidates from five national parties, four state parties, five parties from other states and 14 registered unrecognized parties were in the fray. According to a statistical report released by the Election Commission of India, female voter turnout surpassed that of males in the election. Male turnout stood at 1,06,97,888, while female turnout reached 1,08,37,040. Additionally, 113 voters from the third gender category also cast their votes. The state recorded a historic voter turnout of 86.33 per cent, including postal ballots. In the previous Assembly election, the turnout was 82.04 per cent, with 97,00,486 male voters and 94,76,334 female voters participating.