Bangalore, Jan 10: Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani today said that he is ready to contest elections, ending several weeks of speculation over his entry into the political arena.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Nilekani also confirmed that it would be the Congress party that he would be joining. "Congress has been very kind and supportive of me and my ideas," the 58-year-old said.
There had been a strong that the Congress would be fielding the former software czar as its candidate for Bangalore South in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sue by May.
In 2009, Mr Nilekani quit one of the most high-profile jobs in India Inc to take over as chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, which is implementing the Aadhar identity cards to allow the poorest to receive benefits directly from the government. When complete, it will be the world’s largest biometric database.