'Election King' K Padmarajan filing his nomination in Dharmapuri on Wednesday
COIMBATORE: Independent candidates stole the show on the first day of filing of nominations in Western districts on Wednesday.
An independent candidate, T Ramesh, 43, founder of Ahimsa Socialist Party came dressed as Mahatma Gandhi to file his nomination to contest in the Namakkal constituency. Curiously, he brought Rs 25,000 in Rs 10 coins for security deposit.
It took over half an hour for the staff to count the coins before accepting his nomination papers. By filing his nomination in coins, Ramesh intended to drive home the message of Rs 10 as legal tender.
Independent Noor Muhammed in Coimbatore
Notably, ‘election king’ K Padmarajan, 64, filed his nomination for the 239th time to contest in Dharmapuri. “I have been contesting in polls since 1988. I have contested unsuccessfully against former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and PV Narasimha Rao, former chief ministers M Karunanidhi, J Jayalalithaa and other prominent leaders across the country,” he said.
In what he claims to be a prideful achievement, Padmarajan said the law on one candidate should contest only in two seats was enforced after he filed nominations to contest in eight constituencies during the 1996 election. “I have never won any election. I am contesting only to be defeated. That’s my success. I have spent over one crore just to get defeated,” he quipped.
Another unsuccessful independent, Noor Muhammed, 64 came to Coimbatore Collectorate to file his nominations to contest in Pollachi constituency by carrying a coffin. As police denied him permission to take the coffin into the Collectorate while filing nomination, Noor Muhammed went alone and filed his papers.
