Sep 18, 2013
Just days after BJP elevated Narendra Modi as the party’s prime ministerial candidate, it seems billionaire Nandan Nilekani, cofounder of outsourcer Infosys, is preparing for a full time career in politics. The former Infosys chief executive officer and chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) might be considering taking a plunge into electoral politics by joining the Congress to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. The constituency is likely to be from Bangalore, Karnataka, Nilekani’s home state which is also a constituency dominated by “upper-class professionals. Media reports suggest Congress wants to leverage Nilekani’s clean image to woo urban voters away from BJP nominee Narendra Modi. Congress leaders are reportedly hoping that by fielding Nilekani, the party can garner the votes of not only India’s corporates but also the educated class. “”Getting elected by popular vote will give him the extra legitimacy that needs to make a difference as a technocrat-politician”, a senior Congress leader was quoted as saying by the Economic Times. According to a report in the Telegraph, “Nilekani could embody quite another political appeal, a tug to India’s burgeoning and aspirational middle class being wooed away from the UPA on the back of a recurrent campaign of policy paralysis, economic stagnation and financial downturn…The Congress could well see in Nilekani — author of the bestselling road-ahead treatise Imagining India — a man who could espouse a contrary worldview of the “New India” to the BJP’s Narendra Modi.”
Mint has termed Nilekani’s decision to enter politics as both brave and welcome. “Electing the likes of Nilekani is the first step towards clearing the air… The ensuing political vacuum has been filled, at one level by the judiciary (not a solution that will work in the long term), and at another, by technocrats such as Nilekani (but since they have not been elected, their legitimacy will always be in doubt). More importantly, their accountability is indirect, something that should be avoided in a democratic framework. Expertise is welcome in government, but elected experts are always preferable to appointed ones, says Mint. Here’s all you need to know about Nandan Nilekani: 1. The billionaire entrepreneur and an IIT-Mumbai alumnus, quit the board of Infosys in 2009, after nearly three decades with the company, to head the UIDAI, an ambitious government project to provide an identity number to every resident Indian. The project is touted as one of UPA’s notable successes as UIDAI has issued over 400 million identity cards to date and Nilekani recently said that he’s confident that by 2014 every other Indian will have one. The 12-digit Aadhaar card is already being used to open bank accounts and for transfer of cash entitlements, among other things. 2. According to a report in Times of India, Nilekani was sounded out by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi a couple of months ago, as the task of setting up, launching and evangelizing the Aadhaar cards was now over and the question arose over Nilekani’s future. Nilekani was drafted by the Manmohan Singh government to devise and pilot Aadhaar in 2009. He was also given the rank of a cabinet minister. And if he must enter politics, he will have to quit his current cabinet-rank job. Reports also said that Nilekani enjoys a ‘great’ rapport with both party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Moreover even though Nilekani’s UID project faced several bureaucratic challenges, the general perception has been that Nilekani had shown toughness in face of such opposition. 3. If the UIDAI chief enters the electoral bandwagon, he will be the first technocrat from India’s IT industry to test the waters of direct politics. 4. Nilekani has a home in the posh Koramangala area that is part of the Bangalore South constituency. This seat is currently held by BJP’s Ananth Kumar. Kumar is a five-time sitting MP. According to a report in Asian Age Kumar is expected to be shunted to second-tier city and his hometown Hubli as the RSS is pushing for popular cricketer Anil Kumble in a bid to ensure that at least 18-20 seats of the 28 from Karnataka are mopped up by the BJP. 5. Nilekani also co-founded Nasscom and is associated with think tanks like NCAER ( the premier independent applied economics research institute in India) and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). He also sits on several advisory boards, including those of the World Economic Forum Foundation and the Bombay Heritage Fund. 6. According to Forbes, Nilekani has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion and is the 53rd richest India