Cong's Nilekani has 40 times more assets than AAP's Balakrishnan

Former Infosys Board Member and Aam Aadmi Party candidate for Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat V Balakrishnan has declared his and his family’s assets at about Rs 190 crore.

Balakrishnan, who quit Infosys on December 31 and joined AAP the next day, is fielded against incumbent P C Mohan of the BJP and Youth Congress wing Chief Rizwan Arshad.

[caption id=“attachment_80266” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] V Balakrishnan and Nandan Nilekani in this file photo.[/caption]

In the affidavit filed along with his nomination, he has declared assets in his name to be over Rs 154 crore of which about Rs 103 crore is from his equity shares in Infosys and about Rs 5.26 crore in American Depository Receipts of Infosys Limited.

His wife Chithra Balakrishnan own assets worth of about Rs 19.34 crore.

However, Balakrishnan’s former colleague and co-founder of Infosys and Congress candidate from Bangalore South Nandan Nilekani along with his wife Rohini Nilekani has declared his assets worth Rs 7,700 crore.

That’s 40 times Balakrishnan’s assets.

Chief architect of UPA’s flagship ‘Aadhar’ scheme, Nilekani took the political plunge on March 9, when he joined Congress, a day after the party named him as its candidate from Bangalore South.

Bangalore South has been a hostile terrain for Congress which had been tasting defeat since the late 1970s, barring in 1989 when former Chief Minister late R Gundu Rao had won.

Nilekani had said, “Most of our wealth, almost 80 per cent remains in Infosys shares. This wealth was created while Infosys brought lakhs of jobs to Bengaluru. The company also shared a lot of wealth with our employees through ESOPs (employee stock ownership plan).”

He said he still owns 1.45 per cent, and Mrs Rohini 1.3 per cent of Infosys.

Saying he is proud of the fact that his wealth is completely transparent, he said, “I haven’t made any of my money illegally, or hid it in investments outside the country.”

“Nothing is hidden in someone else’s bank account. It is all completely transparent, and tax-paid,” he added.Since 1999, both are said to have donated almost Rs 400 crore of their wealth to various causes and charities.

With inputs from Agencies