Among the 345 contestants running for the state assembly in the tiny northeast Indian state of Meghalaya on Saturday is Hitler.
Meghalaya has a special fascination for interesting and sometimes controversial names: Frankenstein, Kenedy Marak, Kennedy Cornelius Khyriem and Jhim Carter Sangma are on the ballot as well.
Adolf Lu Hitler is the 54-year-old father of three who has won three elections to the state assembly with little controversy over being named after the Nazi dictator.
His father worked with the British army and apparently developed enough of a fascination with Great Britain's archenemy to name his son Adolf Hitler.
"I am aware at one point of time Adolf Hitler was the most hated person on Earth for the genocide of the Jews. But my father added 'Lu' in between, naming me Adolf Lu Hitler, and that's why I am different," Hitler told The Associated Press.
India played little role in World War II, and many Indians view Hitler not as the personification of evil but as a figure of fascination. Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" is prominently displayed at many Indian bookstores.
Hitler said his name has not stopped him from obtaining a passport and visa to the United States and Germany.
"I never had problems obtaining a visa but I was asked many times during immigration as to why I should have such a name. I told the immigration staff I possibly didn't have a role in my naming," he said.
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