Delhi assembly polls: 63 Congress candidates lose deposits

NEW DELHI: Congress’s performance touched a record low in the Delhi Assembly election as the party bagged less than 5 per cent of the total votes polled and 63 of its candidates lost their deposits.nnThe party, which ruled Delhi for 15 years on the trot under former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, failed to open its account for the second consecutive assembly election in Delhi.nnOnly three of its candidates Arvinder Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar, Devender Yadav from Badli and Abhishek Dutt from Kasturba Nagar managed to save their deposits.nnSecurity deposit of a candidate is forfeited if he/she fails to secure one-sixth of the total valid votes cast in a constituency.nnMost of Congress candidates got less than 5 per cent of the total votes polled in their respective constituencies.nnDelhi Congress chief Shubhash Chopra’s daughter Shivani Chopra, who was the party candidate from Kalkaji, also could not save her deposit.nnFormer Delhi Assembly Speaker Yoganand Shastri’s daughter Priyanka Singh also forfeited her deposit.nnThe party’s campaign committee chairman Kirti Azad’s wife, Poonam Azad, lost badly and stood fourth, polling only 2,604 (2.23) votes.nnSource: Press Trust of India