Ratlam Lok Sabha Constituency
Constituency Number: 24
Total Electors: 17,02,648 (2014 estimates)
Male Electors: 8,60,947
Female Electors: 8,41,701
Assembly Constituencies: Alirajpur, Jobat, Jhabua, Thandla, Petlawad, Ratlam Rural, Ratlam City, Sailana
Reserved: Yes. For Scheduled Tribes
Delimited: Yes. Earlier it was known as Jabua Lok Sabha constituency.
Results in last four Lok Sabha elections: Former Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria is the sitting MP after winning the by-election in 2015. He had previously served as the MP between 1998 and 2014. In the 2014 elections, Bhuria was defeated by Dileep Singh Bhuria by over 1 lakh votes.
Demography: The constituency is a Congress stronghold since Independence. In fact, the Grand Old Party has lost the seat only twice – 1977 and 2014. The constituency is overwhelmingly tribal, with over 85 percent of the population belonging to Scheduled Tribes. The two main districts that constitute the constituency – Jabua and Alirajpur – are also among the least literate in India.