If in an election to a State Legislative Assembly the candidate who is declared elected loses his deposit, it means that
- Athe polling was very poor
- Bthe election was for a multi-member constituency
- Cthe elected candidate’s victory over his nearest rival was very marginal
- Da very large number of candidates contested the electionCorrect
Explanation
To understand why D is the correct answer, it is important to know the rule regarding the security deposit in Indian elections. According to the Representation of the People Act, a candidate must secure at least one-sixth (16.66 percent) of the total valid votes polled to save their security deposit.
In a scenario where the winning candidate loses their deposit, it implies they received less than 16.66 percent of the total votes. This situation can only occur if there is a very large number of candidates contesting the election, causing the total vote share to be fragmented among many people. In such cases, the winner might lead the pack with a very small percentage of the total votes, while the remaining votes are split across numerous other contestants.
Options A, B, and C are incorrect because poor voter turnout, multi-member constituencies (which no longer exist in India), or a marginal victory do not automatically result in the winner failing to secure the required 16.66 percent of the total valid votes.
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