Nilekani won't quit politics even if he loses polls

Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha elections from Bangalore South, Nandan Nilekani, on Friday, expressed confidence that his clean image and contribution in terms of creating identity to 600 million people will help him win the elections.

“The people of Bangalore South are fed up with the inactiveness of the five-time winner in the constituency. They are looking for change and I can bring that change for them. I will be their ambassador in Delhi for the next five years,” he said.

He said his experience in the last five years as head of Aadhaar and his stint as chairman of Bangalore Agenda Task Force for five years during the tenure of S M Krishna as the chief minister of Karnataka has helped him connect with the people of Bangalore.

In his 45-minute interaction with the mediapersons at Bangalore Press Club, on Friday, Nilekani explained his vision for Bangalore and how he aims to serve the constituency. According to Nilekani, the biggest challenge in India today is to create jobs and he is the better person to do that, he said.

“As a co-founder of Infosys, I have contributed immensely in creating jobs based on meritocracy and I will use that experience in creating opportunities for the young population in the country,” he said.

Responding to a query, Nilekani said he would fight this election with his own wealth and will not depend on the party. When asked what would he do in case he loses in the election, Nilekani said he was committed to politics and would continue in the political arena in the coming years. “Infosys was an agent of change. Now, it is time for me to bring about a change by being in the politics,” he said.
Digital campaign instruments
Nandan Nilekani is engaging all social media platforms such as Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Whatsapp and websites. He has also created a dedicated portal, www.nandannilekani.in, to mobilise support. He has a dedicated phone number for people to get in touch. His team of campaign managers have a software tool for data mining and analysis and digitised voter rolls.

V Balakrishnan is using social media platforms extensively to reach out to the people. He is primarily taking the help of Aam Aadmi Party volunteers, while his digital campaign is managed by three or four tech-savvy team volunteers.

He is also using digital tools to integrate teams seamlessly and transfer information among team members.

Constituency watch

Bangalore SOUTH
Bangalore South comprises eight assembly segments, of which the Congress and the BJP shared four seats each in the 2013 elections. The constituency is known for its large middle-class, educated electorate and it will be a real test for Nilekani to win against the BJP’s H N Ananth Kumar, who has won the seat five consecutive times from 1996. The constituency had 20,34,910 voters in the 2009 elections. Brahmins and Vokkaligas, Karnataka’s second most dominant community, are present in large numbers. Though Kumar has won five times from Bangalore South, his victory margin has come down over the years.


Bangalore Central
The Bangalore Central constituency was created after delimitation. It has eight Assembly segments. In 2009, the BJP’s P C Mohan won by defeating his nearest rival, H T Sangliana of the Congress, by a margin of 35,218 votes.

Of the eight assembly segments in Bangalore Central, the Congress won four seats, the BJP three and the JD(S) one in the 2013 assembly elections. The constituency has a significant population of Muslims and backward-class voters. It is also home to a large slum population. It largely comprises members of the trading community with a sizeable Tamil-speaking population and members of the Vokkaligga and backward communities.