By IANS,
Kolkata : As the Trinamool Congress wave swept away West Bengal’s longest ruling Left Front in the assembly elections, one unlucky Trinamool candidate not only lost the poll but did not secure enough votes to save even his security deposit.
Sheikh Jalaluddin from Chopra constituency in North Dinajpur could manage only 6,944 votes.
As per electoral laws, if an unsuccessful candidate secures less than one-sixth of the total number of valid votes polled, his/her security deposit is liable to be forfeited. Jalaluddin, a lawyer by profession, had to get at least 24,014 votes to save his security deposit as the total votes polled in the constituency were 144,084.
The seat was won by Independent candidate Hamidul Rahman, who defeated Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) candidate Anwarul Haque.
Incidentally, Rahman is one of the only two Independent candidates to have won. The other is Wilson Champramary from Kalchini in Jalpaiguri. A total of 421 Independent candidates contested the assembly elections.