Around 83% of candidates lost their deposit in Tamil Nadu polls, says ECI

Around 83% of candidates in Tamil Nadu lost their deposit in the recently concluded Assembly polls, followed by West Bengal, where 78% lost their security amount.

While 3,352 candidates forfeited their deposit in Tamil Nadu, in West Bengal, the figure stood at 2,298. Tamil Nadu also saw the largest number of candidates in the poll fray at 4,023, while the commensurate figure for West Bengal was 2,920, according to the data made available through the Election Commission website and the ECINET App.

An election security deposit is an amount that is to be deposited with the Returning Officer when a candidate files his or her nomination. The deposit has to be forfeited at an election if the number of valid votes polled by the candidate is less than 1/6th of the total number of valid votes polled.

As far as percentage was concerned, the least number (63%) of candidates lost their deposit in Assam, while in absolute numbers it was the Union Territory of Puducherry which at 220 saw the least number of contestants forfeiting their deposit.

Puducherry also had the least number of candidates in fray at 290.

While 563 out of 883 candidates forfeited their deposit in Kerala (63.75%), in Assam, 455 out of 722 candidates (63%) lost their stakes.

Tamil Nadu polled a total of 4,93,89,958 votes out of which 4,91,24,329 were valid, and in Kerala, the votes polled were 2,16,30,208 and out of them 2,14,71,988 were valid. Women voters recorded a turnout of 86.2% in Tamil Nadu, higher than the 83.77% among men. In Kerala, female voter participation stood at 81.17% against 74.9% among men.

The Union Territory of Puducherry saw 8,66,932 votes being cast, out of which 8,59,506 were valid.

The Index Cards and Statistical Reports have been published for all 830 Assembly constituencies which went to polls. Re-poll has been scheduled at 144-Falta constituency in West Bengal for May 21, 2026.