Around noon, Nandan and Rohini Nilekani's beige car rolled into the barricaded space outside the counting centre in Jayanagar 4th T Block.
Their car was instantly surrounded by some 50 camera-and microphone-wielding journalists, waiting at the centre since morning.
Mr. Nilekani barely squeezed out of his car and faced a barrage of queries from less than a foot away.
“I concede my defeat. I have come to congratulate Ananth Kumarji,” the Congress candidate from Bangalore South said.
The former founder-CEO of IT bellwether Infosys Ltd and until two months ago, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India that issues Aadhaar cards acknowledged his defeat almost an hour and a few counting rounds before the verdict was declared. Mr. Ananth Kumar won by a margin of nearly 2.3 lakh votes over Mr. Nilekani’s 4.03 lakh votes.
Mr. Nilekani, worth Rs. 7,000 crore and officially the wealthiest candidate in this election, said he had no regrets about contesting; the experience had taught him many useful lessons for the future. He thanked his party colleagues and volunteers for a robust campaign and voters.
About his next move, he said he was “very much here to stay.” The electoral plunge was for the long political haul. “I am committed to the Congress, committed to politics, to reforms and to making Bangalore a better city. I will continue to be in active politics and contribute in whatever role [the party assigns him] to develop Bangalore in a non-election capacity, just as I have done before,” he said, obliging the mikes and cameras in English, Kannada and Hindi.
At that point, the 12th round of counting had just ended and another five were to go. Ananth Kumar, BJP’s five-time veteran MP, was leading by 1.64 lakh votes.
About his defeat, he said, “Elections are about winning and losing. When you enter politics, you have to take the rough with the smooth. You win some, you lose some.” Asked whether he fell to the Modi wave rather than to Ananth Kumar, he said: “That is for the psephologists to figure out.”
Asked if he would stand for another parliamentary election, he said, “It's premature.”
Describing his campaign as robust and wonderful, Mr. Nilekani said his party and volunteers worked tirelessly as one. “The fact is that lakhs of people of Bangalore voted for me and I am thankful to them."
