All our political parties are aligned to one particular community. No politician opens his mouth without thinking about his vote bank. Moreover, the rules of political parties are framed for cartels. I wanted to stay away from all this and hence decided to contest as an independent candidate. I want to stand up, speak and cater to the new aspirational India.

Are elections a new challenge for you?

No. I had fought the 1994 assembly election on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket, but lost to the Congress. I am very familiar with the election process.

Why are you contesting from Bangalore and not from your earlier constituency Hassan?

The launch of my new venture, Deccan Logistics, is round the corner and that requires me to stay in Bangalore. The delivery of the aircraft is in April and the launch is on May 4.

I must also add that due to the launch of Deccan Logistics, I had dismissed the idea of contesting the elections ten days ago. However, I later felt the need to contest the elections and even my friends suggested that I go ahead.

Image: Gopinath with Infosys founder Narayana Murthy.

Also see:
India Votes 2009

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