If the sources are to be believed talks with the Congress leadership are at an advanced stage and the ex-Infosys co-chairman is all but certain to get a party ticket. The constituency is likely to be from Karnataka, Nilekani's home state.
Nilekani said, "Although there is no final decision as yet, it is about making a choice at this stage. Getting into the mainstream and becoming one who can initiate change for the larger public good."
Senior Congress leaders who spoke on the condition they not be identified said both Nilekani's and the party leadership's preference is that the UID boss stand as a Lok Sabha candidate. "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 said.
But the Rajya Sabha route is also not being ruled out, the same leader said, adding a final call will be taken after the assembly elections in November. "That's when we get serious about candidate selections", the leader said.
Congress leaders in Karnataka were enthused about the prospect, saying they are aware of the developments.
One state leader who did not want to be named said, "Nilekani would be a shoo-in if he chooses to contest from Bangalore South".
This is a constituency dominated by "upper-class professionals". Nilekani has a home in the posh Koramangala area that is part of the Bangalore South constituency. This seat is now held by the BJP's Ananth Kumar.
Significantly, Nilekani had turned down NRN Narayana Murthy's request in June to get back to Infosys after Murthy had assumed leadership of the IT company.
Nilekani, considered close to the Nehru-Gandhis, was handpicked by Rahul Gandhi to join the administration after the Congress-led UPA-2's 2009 election victory. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave the high profile entrepreneur a cabinet rank appointment and had tasked him to plan and lead the UID project. That decision was near-universally feted as a bold and correct move.
Later, in January this year, he was tasked to develop the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) project that's considered to be a Sonia Gandhi-backed UPA-2 initiative. DBT involves transferring cash to welfare beneficiaries via an identification system based on UID and through technological platforms tailored for India's vast rural areas.
Almost every significant political speech by Sonia Gandhi mentions the DBT scheme. "It's a key tool in her inclusive growth approach, a Congress leader said.
Nilekani, the leader said, is therefore a key strategist in Congress plans anyway.
"His induction as a candidate will make his current and future contributions even more potent", a Congress leader said.
Senior officers in the government, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Nilekani's 4-plus years in the system has shown him to be fast learner and a person who can work the system despite bureaucratic opposition. Nilekani's UID project had faced several bureaucratic challenges, from sections of the Planning Commission as well as the home ministry. But the general assessment has been that Nilekani had shown the requisite toughness in the face of such opposition.
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