Adolf Hitler is running for one of the 60 legislative seats open in the tiny northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. So is Frankenstein.
Because parents there have a fascination with naming their children interesting and sometimes controversial names, the state has seen startling election ballots before. In fact, Hitler already has been elected to the assembly three times.
The ballot for Saturday's election has Frankenstein and Hitler competing against Boldness Billykid, Hillarious Pochen, and Hopeful Bamon, Agence France Presse reported.
Sanjeeb Kakoty, of the Indian Institute of Management in Meghalaya, told AFP the outlandish names come from an age-old practice in which parents name their children randomly, with little or no thought about the etymology or meaning of a word.
Few have contested electing someone named after the Nazi dictator to local government.
Adolf Lu Hitler-Marak is just one of many in Meghalaya who has a controversial name. He has traveled the world, including to the United States and Germany, The Associated Press reported. He said he has nothing in common with the Nazi leader, except for a mustache.
When he's asked by immigration officials why he has that name, he says it wasn't his decision and that his parents had no idea about his namesake's violent history.
India played little role in World War II, and many Indians view Hitler as a figure of fascination rather than as a physical embodiment of evil.
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