Leaders Online Desk: Some leaders who are willing to enter the election arena rebel when their party does not give them tickets. This gives veterans more time to deal with themselves than opponents. Candidates contesting elections on a particular party ticket have the strength of their party behind them. But independent candidates often have to contest elections on their own. In every election many such candidates are seen trying their luck in large numbers. But very few such candidates can taste victory. (Lok Sabha Election 2024)
Some parties field independent candidates to eat the votes of the opposition in the elections. Elections are won and lost. But the more the competitors, the more the opinion is divided. Although independent candidates' chances of winning are slim, the votes they garner can tip the balance between victory and defeat. 90 percent of independent candidates have no hope of winning. Yet independent candidates distract and attract the attention of Indian voters.
If we look at the last few elections, the number of independent candidates has increased. Due to this voters have started ignoring them. Today's voter is conscious. Due to this, the vote share of independent candidates has decreased in the last few years.
Election analysts and journalists Prannoy Roy and Dorab R. Sopariwala in his book 'The Verdict: Decoding India's Elections' How is the percentage of votes of independent candidates decreasing? This is referred to. In the Lok Sabha elections between 1952 and 1977, the vote share of independent candidates was more than 13 percent. But over the next 20-25 years, the independents' vote share fell to 5 percent. In the elections after 2002, the share of independent candidates came to 4 percent. (Lok Sabha Election 2024)
Phase One….Phase Two….Phase Three
Lok Sabha Elections…1952-1977…1977-2002…2002-2019
Independent vote percentage….13 percent…5 percent…4 percent
Dirty tricks of leaders…
What is special is that even the intelligent voters have started to understand the political tactics of all the parties. Dirty tricks are played to field independent candidates by giving names similar or identical to those of their rival parties. An example of this is the 2014 election in the Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh. Controversial leader Ajit Jogi was facing BJP's Chandu Lal Sahu at this place. But Arshaya was shocked to find that 10 other candidates with the same name i.e. Chanda Sahu were running in his constituency. Ajit Jogi lost this election despite this dubious election strategy.
Same problem in Britain
A similar problem prevailed in Britain. Which was completely banned in 2000. In 1994, he ran as a Literal Democrat candidate. It was an attempt to divide the votes of the Liberal Democrat candidates. Like the Election Commission of India, the Election Commission of Britain now registers party names and can reject an application that is similar to an existing party name.
A decline in the percentage of votes received by independents
Support for independents has always been higher in state assembly elections than in Lok Sabha. But in the last few years, the percentage of votes received by independents has also decreased in the assembly elections. In the first phase between 1952 and 1977, the percentage of votes received by independents was 18 percent (average of each election). Then, in the second phase between 1977-2002, the independent vote fell to 12 percent and in the third phase, between 2002-2019, the independent vote dropped to 8 percent. This shows that voter support for independents has decreased.
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