"Every time I file my nomination, I pray to god that I should lose the elections... There's no chance I'll win an election. I'll get a heart attack if I do win one day. I don't think I can handle the shock."
Some never get tired of trying. Dr K Padmarajan, a homeopathic doctor-turned tyre repair shop owner, is one of them. Originally from Mettur in Tamil Nadu's Salem district, the 65-year-old is perhaps the only candidate who prays for his own failure in an election.
Ranging from local to Lok Sabha polls, Padmarajan, popularly known as the 'Election King,' has contested 238 elections, but has lost them all.
Undeterred by his loses, Padmarajan is all set to contest the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections from two Parliamentary constituencies: Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri and Kerala's Thrissur.
In the last 36 years, Padmarajan has contested in six presidential polls, six vice-presidential polls, 32 Lok Sabha elections, 50 Rajya Sabha elections and 73 Assembly elections.
Over the years, he has stood up against some of the biggest names in the political circles including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, PV Narasimha Rao, Pranab Mukherjee, Pratibha Patil, KR Narayanan, and APJ Abdul Kalam. He has also contested against PM Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Jayalalithaa, M Karunanidhi, AK Antony, SM Krishna, and Jagdish Shettar.
Padmarajan has also won himself a place in the India Book Records and the Limca Book of Records for the maximum unsuccessful attempts by a candidate in elections.
"It does not matter who my opponents are. My main aim is to just contest the elections. Winning or losing depends on the voters. Before every election, I do my research and think who are the VIPs I can contest against," he said.
Watch The Quint's interview with him to find out more!
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