BERHAMPUR: Victory or defeat doesn't matter to

, once dubbed by the BBC as the 'world's biggest election loser'. Contesting polls is his hobby and in spite of having lost 28 elections, including 10 assembly polls, since 1957, the 84-year-old resident of

has set his sights on contesting this year's elections as well.

Subudhi plans to fight the

from the two seats in

- Aska and Berhampur - as an Independent. The elderly man is a familiar face in both Aska and Berhampur. And why not, since he has contested nine times from these two

seats. The compulsive election-fighter entered the poll fray in 1957, when he took on former state minister Brundaban Nayak as a young man in his early twenties. "I fought with him for the Hinjili assembly seat but lost," Subudhi recalls fondly. He went on to make his Lok Sabha poll debut in 1962.

Since 1957, the Berhampur resident has suffered poll defeats. When asked what keeps him going, he says, "Taking part in elections is my one and only passion. Forget victory or defeat, I contest to win. One day, I hope the people will elect me as their representative."

Subudhi has never been approached by any political party. He has always contested as an Independent. The homoeopathy doctor by profession - who has lost his deposit in most of the elections he has contested - has begun his campaign for the upcoming elections by distributing leaflets in crowded areas such as stretches frequented by morning-walkers and in markets.

In his pamphlets, he has criticised both the Modi and the Naveen governments for 'corruption' and their 'anti-people' policies. Subudhi's style of electioneering is simple. He has no vehicle or followers unlike other candidates. The aspirant - clad in a coat and cap - prefers riding his cycle across the seats and distributing leaflets among the people. If he plans to go to areas located in the far-flung corners of his target constituencies, he takes the train or the bus. "I have already covered many places in both constituencies. The public spontaneously gives me money to contest the elections," he said. In the 2014 election - in which, too, he had contested from Aska and Berhampur - Subudhi said he spent around Rs 4 lakh, including deposit money of Rs 50,000 (Rs 25,000 per constituency). "Most of the funds I received were though donations," he said, adding that he also dips into the money he has saved through his work as a doctor and as an agriculturist.