Pithoragarh: He has never won any election from the time he contested from Almora constituency in 1984. But this has not dampened the spirits of 60-year-old Gulzar Khan from Pithoragarh who announced his candidature for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls— for the 18th time.Khan is a vendor who sells cosmetic items in Pithoragarh. He has fought every election, from civic poll to assembly elections to Lok Sabha polls, and lost each one of them.“Since 1984, I have contested from Almora constituency for parliamentary elections and lost every one of them. In 2009, Almora was declared as a reserved constituency, so I withdrew my application,” Khan told TOI.“Other than parliamentary elections, I have contested assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh (when Uttarakhand was part of it) and then in Uttarakhand. I also contested for the post of chairman and ward member election for Pithoragarh town during civic elections,” he added.However, he says that it has become tough for common people like him to contest for election as the expenses have gone higher.“Elections are very costly nowadays. When I first contested in 1984, the security deposit was only Rs 500, but it is Rs 15,000 now. Additionally, the campaign expenses like printing posters, transport expenses has also increased, which has rendered impossible for a simple man like me to contest elections,” he said.One being asked as to who funds his election expenses, Khan said, “I don’t have any dedicated donors like other candidates who fund my election expenses. I ask money from local people and also put in my own money.”Khan, however, expressed disappointment over the present political leadership. He said that politicians make hollow promises during elections and forget them once they win.“It doesn’t matter whether I win or lose. For me, the main thing is to make people aware about core issues plaguing them,” Khan said.

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