Zee Media Bureau
Bangalore: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G Parameshwara on Wednesday rubbished reports that Unique Identification (UID) Project chairperson Nandan Nilekani is set to join the Congress party and contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
“I have heard about this only through the media. These reports are based entirely on rumours. There is no such move. Any recommendation has definitely not gone from us,” Parameshwara said.
The KPCC president further denied the reports that claimed Nilekani’s name came up as a probable candidate during the observers’ meeting recently.
Dr Parameshwara called such reports likely being planted from Delhi.
Notably, the Congress party had decided that only those who have been associated with it for at least three years will be given a chance to contest polls in the Lok Sabha elections. Dr Parameshwara, however, said that there could be “some exceptions”.
According to reports, billionaire Nilekani, the cofounder of outsourcer Infosys, could contest the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket from Bangalore South, Karnataka, his home state. The Congress` move could be seen as pitting Nilekani against BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the race to woo Karanataka`s urban and educated voters.
The constituency is at present represented by BJP`s Ananth Kumar.
