Nandan Nilekani, who helped create the Infosys brand, has moved out of his comfort zone to fight an electoral battle. On paper, he’s a greenhorn, fighting on behalf of the Congress, the veteran Ananth Kumar, national general-secretary of the BJP in the Bangalore South constituency. But in a way, he’s taking on brand Modi. This is something acknowledged even in the BJP. Says a senior BJP leader, “It’s Modi who is fighting Nilekani. Ananth Kumar’s power comes from Modi, whose nomination as prime ministerial nominee he had opposed, being close to Advaniji.” Another leader puts it thus: “It’s funny when you think of it. Ananth Kumar is fighting his five-term anti-incumbency with help from Modi.”