BHOPAL: The month-old Madhya Pradesh Assembly has 187 crorepati winners, says a recent report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Madhya Pradesh Election Watch (MPEW).
Nearly 74 or 40 per cent out of 187 crorepati winners have won with a vote share of 50 per cent and above. While 35 crorepati MLAs have won against non-crorepati runners up. Among these 35, five winners have won with more than 20 per cent victory margin. Congress candidate Imarti Devi (INC) from Dabara constituency won her seat with 38 per cent victory margin.
Meanwhile, just 30 non-crorepati winners emerged victorious against crorepati runners up. Only one of them has won with more than 20 per cent vote share.
Out of the 230 winners in the MP Assembly polls 2018, just 21 are women.
Among the women winners, two candidates – Congress' Kalawati Bhuriya and BSP's Rambai Govind Singh – won with less than 40 per cent of vote share. Congress' Raksha Santram Saroniya from Bhandar Constituency won with the highest vote share of 62 per cent.
In the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2018, which saw Congress coming back to power after 15 long years, also witnessed a massive 82 per cent increase in the number of political parties contesting polls. A total of 120 political parties and independents were in the fray including, five national political parties, six state political parties, and 109 registered unrecognized parties.
In comparison, during the 2013 Madhya Pradesh State Assembly elections, 66 political parties were in the fray. These included six national political parties, nine state political parties and 51 registered unrecognized parties. “This reflects that there has been 82% increase in the number of political parties that contested in 2018 from 2013,” said the report.
The voter’s turnout in 2018 was 75.5 per cent as compared to 72.5 per cent in 2013 assembly elections.
The Congress, with 114 seats, emerged as the single largest party in the 230-member Assembly. After failed to cross the halfway mark on its own, it enlisted support of the BSP and the SP, which have won two seats and one, respectively.
