After the official announcement of his candidature on aCongress ticket, Nandan Nilekani was asked by the press what he represented in politics. Nilekani said he symbolized people's 'desire for change' in Bangalore South, a constituency dominated by BJP's H.N. Ananth Kumar for the last 5 terms. But Bangalore South is not a microcosm of the rest of India, and incongruently, as you zoom out to the broader picture, it is a strong yearning for well, 'change' that is expected to push the Congress - the party Nilekani has chosen to fight for - out of power from the centre after a decade.
Clearly, if the plank on which Nilekani wishes to position himself individually in his constituency, is the very basis on which his party is likely to be given a boot in New Delhi, one can't help but question whether the former IT czar turned UIDAI chief made a serious error of judgment in his choice of party, to make his political debut.
There is more than one reason to believe he has.
No one can quite question the impeccable personal integrity Nilekani brings to the table. Which is exactly why the overwhelming reaction on micro blogging site Twitter, to Nilekani's candidature on a Congress ticket, has been of disapproval. There is a sense of bafflement about why the IT billionaire jumped on board a sinking ship, and importantly, perceptible disappointment that despite his clean image, he wasn't deterred by the large scale scams and allegations of corruption that have dogged the Congress's 2nd term.
In fact, rather than admit that there have been serious misdemeanors in the past about which he intended to take corrective steps if elected, Nilekani actually defended the Congress, when questioned about the charges of corruption against his party.
“It is not that the other party has a clean image either" he is reported to have said, in some sense effecting his real coronation as a politician, defending the indefensible. In a climate where there is an Aam Aadmi revolution of sorts underway and widespread anger about the swindling of public resources by the ruling establishment, Nilekani's statement strikes as being jarringly out of sync with the prevalent mood in the country.
Meanwhile the Infosys co-founder has also been peddling the UIDAI and his competence in creation of 'lakhs of jobs' as more specific reasons why people must vote for him.
Yes, at Infosys Nilekani was indeed among the pioneers who brought about the IT revolution that continues to generate large scale employment for Indian software engineers. But his party's record on job creation has been abysmal to say the least. The decade under the UPA rule is often referred to as the jobless decade, and Nilekani knows all too well that job-creation is a task that needs concerted political action and resolve which his party has yet not made known. Whoever will believe a Congress candidate waxing eloquent about job creation with barely 40 days to go for polls?
The UIDAI in the meantime is not quite expected to have the theatrical impact of say an NREGS on voters, given that it has been abandoned midway by this government on schemes such as the Aadhaar-linked LPG subsidy transfers.
Which brings us to the inherent characteristics of the Bangalore South Constituency itself, - traditionally a BJP bastion.
While the 5 time MP Ananth Kumar's vote share has been decreasing over the years - he is still seen as a popular grassroots leader making use of Modi's popularity these days to reach out and campaign. The right leaning portal Niti Central insists that his clean image of a "pro-poor and pro-people leader cuts across communities and religions" and his rallies continue to attract large crowds. While Nilekani, with his popularity among the IT crowd is undoubtedly being seen as a tough competitor - the Modi factor and importantly the nationwide anti-incumbent wave will ensure that Nilekani will have to put up a hard fight to stake a claim to victory.
Imagine though for a moment that Nilekani - the new age politician does emerge successful and is sent to parliament on a Congress ticket. The pertinent question to ask is, will he be able rise above the traditional, hierarchical party structures which govern mainstream politics in India? Will he take a stand against the corruption and criminalization of politics that his party has come to be associated with? His initial remarks do not instill much confidence that he will take on the established order with gusto, and neither have the past actions of other professionals joining the Congress like Shashi Tharoor, who despite his own sanitary image hasn't publicly confronted his party on the myriad scams it has been mired in. Corporate honchos or social activists who've joined AAP however have been quite scathing in their criticism of some of their own party's policies and actions, reflecting a new kind of internal self-determination which is ironically what one perceived Nilekani would have sought in politics.
There are whispers in the press meanwhile, that he could well emerge as a wildcard PM candidate. While the taint of the Congress seems to be hurting more than serving Nilekani, could his plunge and possible anointment as PM contender help the Congress resurrect its fortunes to some extent?
A recent survey by ABP News-Nielsen predicts the INC's tally reducing to only 73 seats from 206 in the 2009 elections. It would need a miracle perhaps, along with Nilekani, to cover even half of that lost ground.
Tweet: Hasn't #IT #Hunk #NandanNilakeni compromise his stand on #corruption by joining #scam-tainted #Sonia-led #Cong . Read http://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/will-nilekani-s-biggest-albatross-be-his-own-party-114031000197_1.html …
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