Meet 'Election King' Padmarajan who spent Rs 20 lakh to retain the loser tag

CHENNAI: Dr K Padmarajan, a homoeopathic doctor-turned businessman in Salem, is perhaps the only candidate who prays for own failure in an election. Known as ‘Election King,’ 56-year-old Dr K Padmarajan has lost as many as 168 elections till now.
On Wednesday, he filed his 169th nomination -- in the R K Nagar assembly constituency where Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa is contesting.The byelection will be held on June 27. He is also planning to contest in the Aruvikkara byelection in Kerala.
“I am sure that I will lose my deposit in elections. But my aim is to retain the tag of the most unsuccessful candidate in elections in the world" said Padmarajan, who entered the Limca Book of Records in 2004, 2014 and 2015 for the same “feat.”
“I don’t spent any amount for campaigning but I lost nearly Rs 20 lakh for filing nominations in the elections,” he said.
So, what motivated him?
“My friends used to tell me that only those who have power can contest the elections. I want to prove that any common man can participate in polls,” he said.
He has filed nominations in elections in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and New Delhi since 1988. Last year, he wanted to contest against Narendra Modi in Vadodara, but his nomination was rejected.
“I don’t have any political background. I contested against almost all the top political leaders in the country. I hope that Guinness World Records will take note of my record” said Padmarajan.
This is third time he is contesting against Jayalalithaa after in 1996 (Bargur) and in 2002 (Andipeti).
He unsuccessfully contested elections against four prime ministers, 11 chief ministers, 13 Union ministers and 15 state ministers. “I have contested eight presidential elections, 28 Lok Sabha elections, 35 Rajya Sabha elections and 51 assembly and other local body elections so far,” he said.
His opponents included President Pranab Mukherjee, former presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil, former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, late Kerala chief minister K Karunakaran and former Union minister A K Antony.
While he doesn’t remember the total number of votes obtained so far, the highest number of votes he got was 6,273 during the Tamil Nadu assembly elections in 2011. He contested in the in Mettur constituency.
Asked if he wanted to contest in any election seriously, he said: “Anyone can contest in any election but only those who have money can win.”