K. Padmarajan has been dubbed the “Election King” and the “World’s Biggest Election Loser” after participating in 238 political elections and losing every single time.

K. Padmarajan’s story is one of perseverance. The 65-year-old repairman from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has participated in hundreds of elections over the past three decades and spent thousands of dollars on registration fees. The closest he has ever come to winning an election was in 2011 when he ran for the general assembly in the town of Mettur and got 6,273 votes. He was way behind the winner – he got over 75,000 votes – but it gave him hope that he could one day win. That day is yet to come, but Padmarajan recently pointed out that winning is the secondary goal. Resilience and accepting defeat are key and no one is better at it than him.

“All candidates seek victory in the elections, I don’t,” the 65-year-old eternal candidate recently said. And he’s not joking. After 238 failed elections, K. Padmarajan is only looking to extend the losing streak. This year, he will enter his 239th election, this time for a parliamentary seat in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district. Hw most likely won’t win, but winning isn’t everything.

Padmarajan’s story began in 1998 when he ran for an official position in his hometown of Mettur. He knew he had virtually no chance, but he wanted to show that any ordinary man has the right to run for official positions.

 

Over the last three decades, the Election King has lost elections to notable figures such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his predecessors Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. But he wears his losses on his sleeve and aims to be a model for the younger generations.

To inspire people to follow in his footsteps and show perseverance in their daily lives, K. Padmarajan now gives talks to students about resilience and overcoming defeat.