Updated on Sunday, January 04, 2009, 00:00 IST

Jammu, Jan 04: There were as many as 655 candidates who could not manage even 500 votes in the battle of hustings in the recently concluded assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir even as the state witnessed a high voter turnout of 61.5 per cent.

According to the results announced on 28 December, in three constituencies of Doru, Inderwal and Kokernag, fifty per cent of the candidates could not reach the 500-votes mark.

Apart from this, there were as many as 1155 candidates among the 1267 losers whose security deposit of Rs 5,000 was fortified. The figure is almost three times bigger than the previous polls in 2002.

The elections also saw many political heavyweights biting dust and losing their security deposit.

Former MP, ex-MLA and National Conference leader from Langate Shariefuddin Shariq was prominent among them as he lost to first-time contestant Abdul Rashid Shiekh.

Similarly, veteran Congress leader and former Minister Ghulam Rasool Kar, who contested from Sopur constituency as an independent and Ghulam Nabi Mir Lasjan of Congress, who contested from Chadoora constituency, were among the candidates who lost their deposit.

Former Minister Raman Mattoo, PDP rebel Ghulam Hassan Khan and former MLA Ghulam Nabi Bhat also made it to the dubious list.

Bureau Report