A total of 8,360 candidates are participating in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the highest since 1996, according to an analysis of official data.
There were 8,039 candidates in the 2019 poll, compared to a record 13,952 candidates vying for 543 seats in the House of Representatives in 1996.
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The 2024 general election will be held in seven stages, with five rounds of voting completed. The sixth and final round will be held on May 25th and June 1st respectively. Votes will be counted on June 4th.
In the fourth phase of elections held on May 13, a maximum of 1,717 candidates stood in 96 constituencies across 10 states and union territories (UTs). According to Election Commission (EC) data, 1,625 candidates stood in 102 constituencies in 21 states and UTs in the first phase held on April 19.
1,198 candidates in 89 constituencies in 13 states and UTs in the second phase on April 26 and 1,352 candidates in 94 constituencies in 12 states and UTs in the third phase on May 7 However, in the fifth phase on May 20, 695 candidates were elected in 49 constituencies. Across eight states and UTs.
According to the EC data, there are 869 and 904 candidates for the upcoming sixth and seventh phases, which will be held on May 25 and June 1. 57 constituencies will go to polls in seven and eight states and UTs on May 25 and June 1, respectively.
The number of candidates participating in parliamentary elections has more than quadrupled from 1,874 in 1952 when elections were first held to 8,360 in 2024, with the average number of candidates per constituency increasing from 4.67 to 15.39. increased in people. According to official data, on average.
Until the 6th Lok Sabha election in 1977, there were on average three to five candidates per seat in the House of Representatives, but in the last election there were 14.8 candidates per constituency nationwide.
In recent years, the total number of candidates participating in elections has increased significantly.
According to official data, in 1952 there were 1,874 candidates for 489 seats, an average of 3.83 per constituency, but numbers rose steadily to 2,784 candidates in 1971, an average of 5.37 per constituency.
In 1977, 2,439 candidates ran, with an average number of candidates per district of 4.5. According to the data, the number of candidates increased to 4,629 in the 1980 elections, with an average of 8.54 candidates per seat.
In the 8th general election, 1984-1985, there were 5,492 candidates and the average number of participants per constituency was 10.13.
According to official data, in the 9th general election in 1989, 6,160 candidates ran, with an average of 11.34 candidates per House seat, while in the 10th general election in 1991-1992, 543 seats were contested. 8,668 candidates ran, with an average of 15.96 per district.
Data shows that in 1996, 13,952 candidates contested 543 parliamentary seats, with the average number of candidates per seat increasing from 16.38 in the previous election in 1991 to 25.69, the highest ever. Recorded.
The increase in security deposit from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000 by the Election Commission appears to have helped reduce the number of candidates per seat in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections to 8.75.
For many years, the total number of candidates was less than 5,000 (4,750), but in the 1999 general election this increased slightly to 4,648 candidates, for an average of 8.56 candidates per seat.
In 2004, the number of contestants again crossed the 5,000 mark, with 5,435 contestants competing for 543 seats, with an average of just over 10 contestants per seat.
There were 8,070 candidates in the 2009 general election, and the average number of participants per seat jumped to 14.86. A total of 8,251 candidates are in the fray in the 2014 Sabah polls.
