Vote share of winners declined in Punjab, Goa polls: ADR report

The study showed that vote share of winners dropped to 43 per cent and 48 per cent in Punjab and Goa respectively.

New Delhi, Apr 7: Winners saw their average vote share decline by as much as eight per cent in the recently concluded assembly polls in Goa and Punjab, compared to the 2012 elections, says a report.

An analysis of voting share of candidates who won the polls by the Association for Democratic Reforms showed that their vote share dropped to 43 per cent and 48 per cent in Punjab and Goa, respectively. In terms of representativeness -- a measure of votes garnered by a winning candidate against total number of registered voters in a particular constituency -- Goa has a higher figure of 39 per cent while that of Punjab stood at 33 per cent.

In the Punjab assembly, 52 political parties and independents were in the fray, as against 37 political parties in 2012.

"This reflects an increase of 40 per cent in the number of political parties that contested in 2017 from 2012," Delhi-based ADR said in a report on Friday.

It further said that 18 winners (15 per cent) won with 50 per cent and above of the total votes polled in their constituency. Amarinder Singh with 68 per cent, Navjot Singh Sidhu (61 per cent) and Barindermeet Singh Pahra (58 per cent) are the top three winners who have attained the highest vote share.

Of the 77 winners of INC, 59 (76 pc) won with less than 50 per cent of total votes polled in their constituencies. Nineteen (95 pc) out of 20 winners from AAP, 13 (87 pc) of 15 from SAD, 3 (100 pc) of 3 from BJP and none of the two winners from Lok Insaaf Party have won with less than 50 per cent of total votes polled in their constituencies.

All the winners of the Punjab elections won with an average of 33 per cent of the total registered voters. This implies that the winners represents on an average, 33 per cent of the total electorate. In the Punjab assembly elections of 2012, candidates won by an average of 36 per cent of the total registered votes, ADR said.

The top three winners with highest representativeness are Amarinder Singh (46 pc), Pahra (44 pc) and Parkash Singh (42 pc). Out of 77 winners of INC, 15 (19 pc) have won less than 30 per cent of the votes of the total registered voters in the constituency. Five (25 pc) out of 20 winners from AAP, 8 (53 pc) of 15 winners from SAD, 1 (33 pc) of 3 winners from BJP and none of the two winners from Lok Insaaf Party have won less than 30 per cent of votes of the total registered voters in the constituency.

Also, 30 (39 pc) of the 77 winners of INC have won with less than 10 per cent margin of victory. Eleven (55 pc) out of 20 winners from AAP, 10 (67 pc) out of 15 winners from SAD, 2 (67 pc) of 3 winners from BJP and none out of two winners from Lok Insaaf Party have won with less than 10 per cent margin of victory.

In a separate report, ADR said that winners of the Goa state assembly elections, 2017 won by an average of 48 per cent of total votes polled, while in 2012 they won by an average of 52 per cent. The report further added that 16 (40 pc) winners won with 50 per cent and above of the total votes polled in their constituency.

Ramkrishna of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak party got the highest vote share at 73 per cent. Out of 17 winners of INC, 10 (59 pc) won with less than 50 per cent of total votes polled in their constituencies. Nine (69 pc) out of 13 winners from BJP; all 3 from Goa Forward Party, 1 (100 pc) from NCP and none of the three winners from MGP won with less than 50 per cent of total votes polled in their constituencies.

All the winners of the Goa elections, 2017 won with an average of 39 per cent of the total registered voters, while in 2012 the average was 43 per cent, it said.

Out of the 17 winners of INC, 8 (47 pc) have won less than 40 per cent of the votes of the total registered voters in their constituencies. Eleven (85 pc) out of 13 winners from BJP, all 3 from Goa Forward Party, 1 (100 pc) from NCP and none of the three winners from MGP have won less than 40 per cent of votes, the report added.

PTI