Analysis · side by side

The states, ranked

Vidhan Sabha 2005. 3 states and union territories, 414 seats, ranked side by side.

States compared

2005 · 414 seats in total

Highest turnout

71.86%

Haryana

Lowest turnout

45.85%

Bihar

Closest contests

6.8%

Jharkhand · median margin

Most crowded ballot

17.2

Jharkhand · candidates per seat

[01]Turnout

Votes as a share of electors · 2005

Haryana 71.86%90 seats

Jharkhand 57.03%81 seats

Bihar 45.85%243 seats

Median winning margin · closest first

Jharkhand 6.8%81 seats

Bihar 7.6%243 seats

Haryana 10.0%90 seats

How crowded the ballot paper was

Jharkhand 17.21,390 candidates

Haryana 10.9983 candidates

Bihar 8.82,135 candidates

Effective number of parties by vote share · most fragmented first

Jharkhand 7.912 of 50 parties won

Bihar 6.713 of 59 parties won

Haryana 3.56 of 28 parties won

Candidates under a sixth of the valid vote

Jharkhand 86.76%1,206 of 1,390

Haryana 78.23%769 of 983

Bihar 73.35%1,566 of 2,135

Arithmetic over the table above, not commentary

Turnout ranged from 71.86% in Haryana to 45.85% in Bihar — a spread of 26.01 points.
71.86 - 45.85 across 3 states
Jharkhand was the hardest fought: its middle seat was won by 6.8%, against 10.0% in Haryana.
median winning margin, 81 seats against 90
Jharkhand had the most crowded ballot at 17.2 candidates a seat, and 86.76% of them lost their deposit.
1,390 candidates over 81 seats