SELECT "Seats Contested" FROM table_23863 WHERE "Party" = 'Independents'
How many seats are contested for independents?
CREATE TABLE table_23863 (
    "Party" text,
    "Seats Contested" real,
    "Seats Won" real,
    "No. of Votes" real,
    "% of Votes" text,
    "% in Seats contested" text,
    "Seats Forfeited" real,
    "2003 Seats" real
)