Gujarat has maximum number of less educated candidates in this Lok Sabha election

Every political party will tell you that winnability is a factor while deciding on candidates. The focus on social engineering and glam factor, however, often pushes to the backburner the candidate’s educational qualification.

India Today’s Data Intelligence Unit (DIU) in a recent report has found that hardly 2 per cent of the total candidates contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are illiterates and around half the candidates had attained higher education.

For the analysis, we divided educational qualifications into two parts candidates with higher education (graduate and above) and those who have completed schooling. DIU has found that the maximum number of less educated candidates is contesting from Gujarat.

A total of 371 candidates are contesting on 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat. Of these, 240 (65%) had not studied beyond school. Only 30% of the candidates had attained higher education. Around 2 per cent of the candidates are illiterate. The rest 3 per cent listed their educational qualifications as others’.

In terms of the maximum number of less educated candidates, Gujarat is followed by Kerala where 54 per cent candidates have studied till school level only. Then come Maharashtra (51%), Chhattisgarh (50%), Telangana (49%) and Karnataka (49%).

Most candidates in Gujarat studied till Class 8

DIU has found that most candidates in Gujarat this time have studied till Class 8 only. Around 19.4 per cent candidates passed Class 8, 16 per cent passed Class 10, 15 per cent passed Class 12 and around 9 per cent passed Class 5.

The educated lot didn’t have an impressive number either. Of the total candidates, around 30 per cent attained higher education. Of these, while 12 per cent were graduates, 7 per cent had completed professional education and 0.8 per cent has doctorate degrees.

BSP fields maximum less educated candidates

The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded the maximum number of candidates who did not have higher education. Of the 25 candidates contesting from BSP tickets in Gujarat, 16 (64%) did not attain higher education.

After BSP comes the Congress. The Grand Old Party is contesting all 26 seats in Gujarat and 11 of its candidates (42%) have not pursued higher studies. The Congress is followed by BJP where 10 out of its 26 candidates (38%) have not gone beyond school. Apart from the major parties, there are 140 Independent candidates in the state, of which 71% have not gone beyond school.

Which constituency has most less educated candidates?

Surendranagar Lok Sabha constituency fares the worst when it comes to the number of candidates with less education; 84 per cent of the candidates contesting from this seat have not attained higher education.

Of the 31 candidates contesting from Surendranagar, 21 have studided till Class 8 or below.

Similar education patterns in the neighbourhood

Not just Gujarat, but even Union territories bordering the state have shown a similar pattern of educational level in this election.

Out of 11 candidates contesting in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, only three are graduates. In Daman and Diu, where four candidates are in the fray, only one (contesting from Congress) is a graduate.

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