At least 82 of the 227 candidates, who contested across the Mohali’s 50 wards in municipal corporation elections, are set to forfeit their security deposits after failing to secure the minimum number of votes required under election rules.
An analysis of ward-wise results showed that contestants polled fewer votes than the prescribed threshold, indicating a highly polarised contest dominated by major parties and a handful of strong independents.
Independents accounted for largest number of forfeitures, followed by candidates of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Among the candidates identified from the ward-wise data, at least 31 Independents, 24 SAD candidates, 20 BJP candidates, six Congress candidates and one AAP candidate failed to cross the prescribed threshold.
Ward 22 saw four candidates, including an INC nominee and three Independents, falling below the forfeiture threshold of 306 votes. Similarly, Wards 46, 48 and 49 witnessed four or more candidates each losing their deposits.
Several candidates received exceptionally low support from voters. In Ward 14, Independent candidate Jasmeet Kaur secured just one vote. Ward 20’s Independent Harmanjot Singh polled only six votes, while Independents Kuldeep Kaur,Ward 3), Kiran Sharma,Ward 23, Ravneet Kaur,Ward 22, and others also failed to make any electoral impact.
The analysis further highlights the increasingly competitive nature of Mohali’s urban politics, where voters largely consolidated behind winning candidates, rather than spreading support among multiple contestants. While the elections were contested by 227 candidates, the results suggest that only a limited number emerged as serious contenders in most wards.
With candidates set to lose their deposits, the figures underline the challenges faced by smaller parties and lesser-known candidates in gaining traction in Mohali’s evolving political landscape.
