Demonetisation effect: Fewer candidates fought 2017 UP poll

Number of contestants down 30% to 4,823 this year, from 6,839 in 2012

Up assembly polls, Women, queue, Amethi, fifth phase, Assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh — Women queue up at a polling booth in Amethi during the fifth phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Photo: PTI

Last Updated : Mar 06 2017 | 5:45 PM IST

Call it the demonetisation effect or otherwise -- the number of candidates fighting the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly poll fell by 30 per cent from the previous 2012 election.

Against a total number of 6,839 candidates fighting the 2012 UP poll on party symbols or as independents, the corresponding number has dropped significantly to 4,823 in 2017.

The number of contestants fell drastically even if one factored in the pre-poll alliances of Congress-Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bharatiya Janata Party-Apna Dal in UP. There are a total of 403 assembly seats in the state.

Interestingly, there was a jump of over 52 per cent in the number of candidates fighting 2012 UP poll compared to 2007, when 4,487 contested as party nominees or independents.

The demonetisation, which was announced on the night of November 8 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a radical step against black money, unaccounted cash transactions and tax evasion, had sucked out almost 85 percent of liquidity from the market.

Under demonetisation, high value Indian currency notes bearing 1,000 and 500 denominations were scrapped and the government started printing and issuing new series of legal tenders bearing 2,000 and 500 denominations.

In this context, demonetisation had squeezed cash availability in economy in run up to the polls in 5 state viz. UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. It was widely expected that demonetisation could actually put a tab on the number of contestants this time round.

The Election Commission (EC) had fixed the ceiling of Rs 28 lakh as poll expenses on individual candidates for UP poll, up from the corresponding figure of Rs 16 lakh for the 2012 election, a hike of 75 percent.

Nonetheless, the actual poll spend by the candidates is pegged much steeper and estimated at 5-10 times by different political commentators and retired bureaucrats. The candidates spend towards volunteers and party workers, besides incurring for publicity, canvassing, vehicles, election office, snacks, tents etc.

However, the actual accounted expenditure could still be higher, since the political parties are allowed to incur separately in holding political rallies and public meetings in support of candidates. This expenditure head is distinct from that of the respective candidates.