Independent Candidates Face Uphill Battle in Mumbai North West as Voters Continue to Shun Them in Elections

Mumbai: Independent candidates enter the fray to try their luck. However, the data shows that voters turn their backs on independents. In Mumbai North West, 11 independent candidates did not even get 1,000 votes.

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In 2014, there were 15 candidates in the fray, four of whom were independents. They received a total of 4,489 votes while four candidates received more than 1,000 votes. 

In 2019, there were 22 candidates in the fray, eight of whom were independents. 

They received a total of 6,602 votes and two candidates received more than 1,000 votes. This led to the confiscation of deposits of all independent candidates. 

Most votes: Prabhakar Sadhu got the highest number of 1912 votes in the 2019 elections. In the 2014 elections, Rina Zaveri got 1530 votes while in the 2009 election, Santosh Chalke got 1886 votes.

In the Lok Sabha elections, voters turn away from independents

This pattern continued in 2009, 2014, and 2019 in the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha elections. Independent candidates are yet to win the seat. In the 2009 elections, a total of 21 candidates were in the fray, of which 9 were independent candidates. They received a total of 10,164 votes while candidates received less than 1,000 votes.