Former Director and Chief Financial Officer of Infosys V. Balakrishnan is set to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
This comes weeks after he quit the company where he spent more than two decades. Sources close to Bala said he feels the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is the most successful start-up that is revolutionising politics in the country.
Balakrishnan did not respond to e-mails and SMS sent by this correspondent. An SMS sent to AAP spokesperson Yogendra Yadav also did not elicit a reply.
In the past, Bala has been vocal about the gridlock in political decision-making impacting the macroeconomy.
It is learnt that Bala plans to contest from the Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency from where former Unique ID Authority Chairman Nandan Nilekani is likely to contest on Congress ticket.
However, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee officials maintain that Nilekani has not made it to the shortlist as he has not worked for the party in the past five years.
According to industry watchers, one reason for corporate executives from Bangalore joining AAP is that the country’s IT hub is crumbling due to lack of infrastructure.
Entities such as the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) have taken it upon themselves to bring in good governance practices, improve the quality of infrastructure in the city, and identify/support strong candidates for public office at all levels.
venkatesh.ganesh@thehindu.co.in