Independent candidates may have won just three seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, but they have garnered close to three per cent vote share -- higher than parties like Aam Aadmi Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and Communist Party of India.
However, the winning percentage remains dismal for independents as there were more than 3,000 in the fray and less than 0.1 per cent of them could manage to win.
Three independents, who have made to the Lower House of the Parliament, include Naba Kumar Sarania (Hira) from Kokrajhar in Assam, while two others are from Kerala -- comedian Innocent and advocate Joice George.
Sarania has the highest victory margin and trounced his nearest rival and independent candidate Urkhao Gwra Brahma by 3,55,779 votes.
From Idukki constituency, George won by 50,542 votes beating Congress candidate Dean Kuriakose. Springing a surprise Innocent, who made his debut in general elections, won the Chalakudy seat by beating Congress veteran P C Chacko with 13,884 votes margin.
The three independents, who have won, together registered votes of more than 1.67 crore, accounting for three per cent of total votes polled in this Lok Sabha elections, according to latest figures from the Election Commission.
In one of the most fiercely contested general elections, BJP has won about 282 seats, making it the only party to win single majority in the Lok Sabha since 1984.
This year's Lok Sabha polls witnessed the highest-ever turnout with 66.38 per cent of an estimated 814 million voters exercising their franchise -- the highest ever in the history of general elections.
These elections saw a total of 8,241 candidates fighting it out for the 16th Lok Sabha and included 3,234 independents.
In terms of vote share, BJP is on the top with 31 per cent, followed by 19.3 per cent for Congress. Only seven parties have managed to get more than 3 per cent vote share and include BSP, Trinamool Congress, SP, ADMK and CPM.
Those having lesser vote share than 3 per cent of independents include TDP (2.5 per cent), YSR Congress (2.5 per cent), AAP (2 per cent), Shiv Sena (1.9 per cent), DMK (1.7 per cent), BJD (1.7 per cent), NCP (1.6 per cent), RJD (1.3 per cent) and TRS (1.2 per cent).
