Order–disorder–order transitions and winning margins’ scaling in kinetic exchange opinion model

The kinetic exchange opinion model shows a well-studied order–disorder transition as the noise parameter, representing discord between interacting agents, is increased. A further increase in the noise drives the model, in low dimensions, to an extreme segregation ordering through a transition of similar nature. The scaling behavior of the winning margins has distinct features in the ordered and disordered phases that are similar to the observations noted recently in election data in various countries, explaining the qualitative differences in such scaling between tightly contested and land-slide election victories.