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Q108 (CAPF/2017) Polity & Governance › Governance, Policies & Social Justice › Electoral systems Answer Verified

In an election which was contested by two candidates, X and Y, 4000 votes were polled. Suppose that every vote was polled in favour of either of the two candidates. Candidate Y got 40% of vote polled and was defeated. What was the margin of defeat ?

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: B
Explanation

In a two-candidate election where every vote is polled for either candidate, the total votes (4000) are divided between X and Y. Candidate Y received 40% of the polled votes, which equals 1600 votes (0.40 * 4000). Since there are only two candidates and no invalid votes, Candidate X must have received the remaining 60% of the votes, totaling 2400 votes (0.60 * 4000). The margin of defeat is the difference between the winner's and the loser's vote counts. Therefore, the margin is 2400 - 1600 = 800 votes. This calculation follows standard proportional reasoning used in election analysis where the sum of candidate percentages equals 100% of the valid polled votes. The winner is determined by the largest number of votes, and the margin represents the gap between the top two finishers.

Sources

  1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 80: Elections > ELECTION PROCESSs > p. 576
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