Only 31% LS candidates have college degree; only 10% women are in fray: PRS data

Hyderabad: About 31% of candidates from national and state parties have not completed a college degree.

According to the data by PRS Legislative Research, candidates from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Punjab have the highest proportion of candidates with only a school education.

About 69% of candidates from major parties have at least an undergraduate degree and 4% of candidates have a doctoral degree. 82% of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala candidates have at least a graduate degree.

Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha are being held between April 19 and June 1 with a total of 8,360 candidates contesting elections across 543 constituencies. BSP fielded the highest number of 488 candidates. BJP is a close second.

A total of 744 parties have fielded candidates in this election. Of these, six have been recognized by the ECI as national parties. 16% of candidates have been fielded by national parties, 6% by state parties, and 47% of candidates are independents.

Among the state parties, Samajwadi Party (71) and Trinamool Congress (48) have fielded the highest number of candidates among state parties. Of the six national parties, the National People’s Party has fielded the fewest candidates (three), followed by the AAP (22).

Among the state parties, YSRCP contested 25 candidates.

Among the unrecognized parties, the Social Unity Centre of India (Communist) fielded the highest number of candidates (150), followed by the People’s Party of India (Democratic), which fielded 79 candidates. On average, 15 candidates are contesting from each constituency

Contesting Candidates:

On average, each constituency in Telangana had 31 contesting candidates, whereas four states had 10 candidates per constituency.

Ladakh and Nagaland had three candidates each.

Karur, in Tamil Nadu, had the highest number of candidates (54). 46 of these candidates, contested as independents (85%). Eight other constituencies had more than 40 candidates.

In Surat, the BJP candidate won without the election being held, as all other candidates withdrew their nomination

Middle-aged/ Young candidates:

The average age of candidates contesting this election is 48 years. The average age of candidates also varies significantly across states. The average age of candidates in Telangana is 44 years, whereas that in Kerala is 55 years.

YSRCP party fielded 16% of candidates below 40 years of age.

Among the national parties, 13% of candidates fielded are below 40. 20% of candidates fielded by the BSP

(98 candidates) are below the age of 40. None of the candidates from the NPP and the DMK are below 40 years of age. 43% of candidates fielded by the Naam Tamilar Katchi are below 40 years of age. This is the highest proportion for unrecognized parties with at least 40 candidates.

Only 10% are women:

The number of women contesting general elections has increased from 3% in 1957 to 10% in 2024.

Among the six national parties, the BJP has the highest number and proportion of women candidates (at 16%). Two out of the three

candidates for the NPP are women. Among regional parties contesting more than 20 seats, the BJD (33% women candidates) and the RJD (29%) have the highest proportion of women candidates. 50% of candidates (20 out of 40 candidates) fielded by the Naam Tamilar Katchi are women.

Six individuals of the third gender are contesting elections. Of these, four candidates are independents, and two are contesting as candidates of unrecognized parties. There were six third-gender candidates in the 2014 and 2019 elections as well.

60% of MPs of the 17th Lok Sabha are re-contesting:

Of the candidates from major political parties, 27% have previously been MP. 25% have previously been Lok Sabha MPs, and 4% have been Rajya Sabha MPs. 2% of candidates have been part of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

327 MPs from the 17th Lok Sabha are contesting again. One MP is contesting from two constituencies. 18 MPs are contesting from a different constituency from the one they represented in the 17th Lok Sabha.

34 MPs from the 17th Lok Sabha are contesting on a different party’s ticket. 11 of these instances are due to splits in the parties, such as in the case of the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Lok Jan Shakti Party.

73 candidates have had Rajya Sabha experience. One candidate has served five terms in Rajya Sabha, and two have served four terms each. 25 candidates are currently members of Rajya Sabha or vacated their seats in 2024. Of the candidates from major political parties, 11 candidates have served six or more terms in Lok Sabha.

53 sitting ministers are also contesting elections. Three of these ministers are currently members of the Rajya Sabha, and five others completed their Rajya Sabha term on April 20.