News Politics National Different strokes for two folks in high-tech Bangalore

Different strokes for two folks in high-tech Bangalore

Bangalore: In the prestigious contest for the Bangalore South constituency, where Congress' Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder-turned-minister in the UPA government, is pitted against five-time BJP lawmaker and former minister Ananth Kumar for the April 17

"I have a clean image. I am committed to deliver whatever I take up. At BATF and UIDAI, I proved to be a problem-solver. Though IT made Bangalore world famous, its infrastructure development did not keep pace with its explosive growth," Nilekani said.

"As a result, the city is a victim of its success. I want to fix its problems, transform it into a world class city and promote it as its global ambassador," Nilekani said, sharing his vision for the tech hub.

On the other, as a seasoned politician, a former federal cabinet minister and his party's national general secretary, Kumar recalled his contribution to the city by getting it the new international airport, metro rail link, Cauvery river water supply and prudent use of funds given to every lawmaker for local area development.

"The fact that I have been winning here since the 1996 elections, despite the Congress fielding a new candidate in every election, proves why the people have been voting for me. This time, a vote for me is a vote to bring us back to power under Modi's leadership," Kumar asserted.

Kumar was union civil aviation and urban development minister in the twin National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's leadership during 1998-99 and then 1999-2004.