Nandan Nilekani on Government Relations

In July 2009 Nilekani left Infosys to chair the Unique Identification Authority of India at cabinet-minister rank, accepting the invitation of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The move swapped a corporate CEO career for a state-building assignment to roll out biometric identity for every Indian resident — what observers called the biggest social project on the planet.

In March 2014 Nilekani joined the Indian National Congress and contested Bangalore South in the Lok Sabha election, losing to BJP incumbent Ananth Kumar by roughly 228,575 votes. His affidavit declared assets of about Rs 7,710 crore, making him the richest candidate in that election cycle.

In mid-2026 the Government of India constituted a high-powered task force headed by Nilekani to recommend making the country's examination system leak-proof and technology-driven — extending his DPI playbook into education assessment, another large-scale public-sector reform brief handed to him directly by Prime Minister Modi.