Self-proclaimed ‘poll king’ K. Padmarajan Nair filed his nomination papers for the Sankarankoil by-election in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu Wednesday.

This tyre retreading businessman of Attur village, in Salem district, boasts that this is his 128th nomination, filed with the aim of crossing the record of 300 nominations set by late Johinder Singh of Punjab.

As his sole aim of filing nominations for any election, in any part of the country, is to enter the Guinness book of world records, Mr Padmarajan does not campaign.

This Salem-based businessman of Kerala origin, however, has the privilege of entering the Limca book of records as the most unsuccessful candidate in 2003.

He developed this peculiar penchant, starting from the Mettur taluk housing society to the Indian President’s election since 1988, when he first filed his nomination for the Mettur Assembly constituency. “Since then, I have been participating in every election in the country,” said Mr Padmarajan.

Assistant central excise commissioner Selvaraj, who received the papers from Mr Padmarajan and Mr Sriramachandran as the returning officer for the Sankarankoil by-election, told Deccan Chronicle that he could not refuse to receive the nominations as per election commission rules.