If number of candidates were to decide how keenly a seat is contested, then in this 2019 Lok Sabha polls Jamnagar and Surendranagar is the most contested seats with a whopping 25 candidates in the fray as Independents.
With the BJP, Congress and the BSP, the Jamnagar seat in all has 28 candidates while Surendranagar has 31 candidates.
In the year 2014 too, Jamnagar had the highest number of independent candidates at 19 while the second highest number of candidates was from Bhavnagar (12).
The second highest number of independent candidates this election is from Navsari which has 13 candidates.
Jamnagar (rural), where bypolls are being held also has 13 independent candidates.
Interestingly, Jamnagar was also the seat which had the highest number of candidates in the 2014 elections. In that year, the seat saw 25 candidates contesting the polls and of this 23 had lost their deposit.
The second highest number of overall contesting candidates in 2014 was from Navsari and it also ranked second in number of candidates, who lost their deposit. Navsari had 19 overall candidates contesting in 2014 of which 17 lost their deposits.
PM Patel, former HOD of the political science department at MSU said it is difficult to comment on a particular seat and number of independents contesting their and to infer the cause for such a high number. "But there is an untested theory that states that often see such candidates are reflection of the dummy candidates being propped up by the main parties to undercut the votes of others," said Patel. He said caste also plays an important role.
"Sometimes a particular caste may not have got adequate representation among the candidates nominated by the parties and several independents may jump in the fray to ensure their community is also represented well," said Patel.
It should be noted that Jamnagar that has had the highest number of independents across all seats had in the last two Lok Sabha polls preceding the 2014 polls voted for the Congress.
Surendranagar the other seat that has seen the highest number of Independents has also swung in favour of both the BJP and the Congress every elections. Since 1996, both the BJP and Congress have won the seat three times each.
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