While most people who contest elections hope to win, 74-year-old Hasnuram Ambedkari, who is contesting the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, has different plans. He is contesting this election intending to get defeated for the record 94th time. It is noteworthy that this person has contested 93 different elections so far. He has lost all these elections. He wants to set a record of losing elections 100 times.
Hasnuram Ambedkari is a resident of Nagla Dulha in Kheragad tehsil of Agra district in Uttar Pradesh. 75-year-old Hasnuram Ambedkari has contested 93 different elections and is happy after each defeat. Uttar Pradesh assembly elections have already occupied almost all space of the political discussions in India. With ECI declaring the dates and political parties releasing their candidate lists, the upcoming election is set on.
Since when and why did he start contesting elections for defeat
Thirty-eight years ago, in 1984, Bahujan Samaj Party had promised to give an election ticket to Hasnuram Ambedkari. BSP at that time was a newly formed party and Hasnuram had earlier been a member of BAMSEF. BSP did not keep its promise and denied a ticket to Hasnuram Ambedkari. He was hurt by this. He has been contesting elections since then. He has contested for local bodies, panchayats, assembly as well as parliamentary elections. Hasnuram Ambedkari was earlier working in the revenue department. But he quit his job to contest in elections. Even after leaving the job, he did not get a ticket from the party. He then started contesting all the elections. His range covers all the elections from panchayat to parliament.
Ambedkari says, he is a committed follower of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and believes in constitution
Hasnuram Ambedkari, born to Harigyan Singh on 15th August 1947, is an Ambedkarite. He says that he believes in the constitution of India and the right provided by the constitution to contest elections in our democratic country. He said that if people like a candidate more, they vote for him in big numbers and he represents the people in the house. He added that “If people vote me, I will represent them. But if they don’t vote for me, I will stay where I am. This is democracy. And I pray that I should lose the elections, for the ones who win forget the masses who have voted for them.”
On being asked about why he chose to contest the elections, he said that “When I asked for a ticket, the party leaders asked who will vote me? They said that forget your neighbors, not even your wife is going to vote for you. After that, I thought that one must learn to digest the defeats and since then I am contesting the elections only to lose.”
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Hasnuram Ambedkari contested from Fatehpur Sikri and secured 4200 votes. Ambedkari informed that he has contested elections for gram pradhan, state assembly, gram panchayat, MLC, and Lok Sabha, and once went to the extent of contesting for the post of President of India, but was rejected. Ambedkari said he meets people personally to appeal to them to vote for him and even sends postcards to those living in distant areas. This year he is filing his forms from two constituencies, Agra rural and Kheragarh. This way the total surges to 95. He has said that he will fight his 100th election even though he loses them all. If he manages to do so, it will be a record of its own kind.
