He has lost 238 times but will contest Lok Sabha polls again

K Padmarajan has contested various elections from presidential to local body polls across the country.

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Even though K Padmarajan has failed 238 times in running for office, he is taking it in his stride to once again prepare to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The 65-year-old tire repair shop owner started contesting elections in 1988 in his hometown of Mettur in Tamil Nadu.

People laughed when he threw his hat into the ring, but he said he wanted to prove that a regular guy could take part.

“All candidates want to win the election,” said Mr. Padmarajan, a bright shawl draped over his shoulders and a majestic walrus mustache. “not me.”

For him, victory lies in participation, and when failure is inevitable, he is “happy to fail,” he said.

This year, he will contest from the Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district in the six-week general election that begins on April 19.

Mr Padmarajan, popularly known as the “King of Elections”, has traveled across the country contesting elections ranging from presidential to local polls.

Over the years, he has lost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, and Congress scion Rahul Gandhi.

‘I do not care’

“Winning is secondary,” he said. “Who’s the candidate across from you? I don’t care.”

Mr Padmarajan’s main task now is to extend his losing streak.

The fee doesn’t come cheap – he estimates he has spent thousands of dollars on nomination fees over three decades.

This includes a Rs 25,000 deposit for his latest tilt, which will not be returned unless he wins more than 16% of the vote.

One of his triumphs was becoming India’s worst candidate in the Limkar Book of Records.

Mr. Padmarajan’s best performance came in 2011, when he contested the Assembly elections from Mettur. He won 6,273 votes, while the eventual winner received more than 75,000 votes.

“I didn’t even expect to cast a vote,” he said. “But it shows that people are accepting me.”

In addition to his tire repair shop, Mr. Padmarajan also provides homeopathic remedies and works as an editor for local media.

But he said that of all his work, fighting for elections was the most important.

“It’s about participation,” he said. “People are hesitant about the nomination. So I want to be a role model and raise awareness.”

“Failure is the best”

Padmarajan keeps detailed records of his nomination papers and identity cards for each of his unsuccessful political campaigns, all of which are laminated for safekeeping.

Each one bears the many campaign symbols he has used; fish, rings, hats, phones and, this time, tires.

Once the object of ridicule, Mr. Padmarajan is now asked to speak to students about resilience, using his campaign to explain how to bounce back from failure.

“I don’t think winning – losing is the best,” he said. “If we’re in that mindset, we won’t feel the pressure.”

Mr Padmarajan said it was now more important than ever for every citizen of the country to exercise their right to vote. “It’s their right, they should vote, there’s no win or lose in this,” he said.

Padmarajan said he will continue to contest elections till his last breath but would be shocked if he ultimately wins. “I’d have a heart attack,” he said, laughing.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)