News > What does it mean for a candidate to lose an ‘election deposit’?

What does it mean for a candidate to lose an ‘election deposit’?

The state Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat have concluded. An election security deposit is an amount that is to be deposited with the Returning Officer when a candidate files their nomination. As per the Act, the deposit has to be forfeited at an election if the number of valid votes polled by the candidate is less than 1/6th of the total number of valid votes polled. If a candidate withdraws their nomination or passes away before the polls, the amount is returned.