Nandan Nilekani ready to contest Lok Sabha polls, to join Congress

Ending speculation about his foray into politics, billionaire Infosys co-founder and head of Aadhar programme Nandan Nilekani on Friday said he would join the Congress and was ready to contest the Lok Sabha polls.

"Certainly. I believe I should do something on the political front. If Congress gives me a ticket, I will contest (the Lok Sabha elections this year)," he told reporters, making public his stand on the issue for the first time.

Fifty-eight-year-old Nilekani, who is the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, said talks are going on about the constituency from which he should be contesting. He added that he would join Congress, which has been very "supportive" to him and his ideas.

The Congress is likely to field Nilekani from Bangalore South, a middle-class centric constituency, known for its antipathy towards Congress since the late 1970s, from where BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar has won five times.

Nilekani said ordinary citizens should join politics and he would like to be part of this movement. "In India the biggest change can be brought about through politics and I want to be there," he said.

The country needs more good people from all fields including the corporate world, he said, adding politics is an instrument of change.