‘Bengaluru has suffered, it should be funded’ – What Mohandas Pai expects from Budget 2026 for ‘greatest tech city in the world’

Mohandas Pai, venture capitalist and former CFO of Infosys, on Wednesday said that he expected “some special funds” to be announced in Union Budget for Bengaluru, as he targeted the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka of “taking the city backwards” with populist measures. The state government “has given away Rs 60,000-70,000 crore so called guarantees, 50 per cent of which was not necessary”, he said, adding that such measures are “hurting the reputation of Bangalore.”

He also took aim at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s reported push for paper ballots in the upcoming Bengaluru City Corporation elections, calling the move “absurd” and out of step with the city’s global standing.

“Look at the absurdity… Bangalore city is the greatest tech city in the world. It is the biggest tech center in the world in terms of people, and you want to take us backwards by having paper ballots. It is ridiculous,” he said, according to news agency PTI.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar have called for the reintroduction of ballot papers in the 2026 local body elections. In September last year, Karnataka government’s decision on replacing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) drew criticism from current and former government officers.

Speaking to PTI, Pai warned that decisions like reverting to paper ballots reflected a troubling “mindset of people in power” and risked damaging Bangalore city reputation as the greatest tech city in the world.

“You can’t take the city backwards. You are hurting the reputation of Bangalore,” he said. Pai urged the government to focus on strengthening infrastructure and governance in the city.

‘Siddaramaiah ‘extraordinary’ political leader’

In the same interview, Pai praised Siddaramaiah’s political journey and congratulated the Congress leader for becoming the longest-serving CM of the Karnataka.

“He has come up from the bottom without anybody helping him, without any family connection, individually because of his hardwork, brilliance, compassion, his determination,” he said, calling Siddaramaiah “extraordinary” political leader and a “role model”.

Earlier criticisms

Pai has spoken about Bengaluru’s poor infrastructure in the past too. In September, he joined Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw to draw attention towards poor conditions near Google India’s office in the city.

Mazumdar-Shaw later put out a post on X sharing critical comments made by a business visitor from China on the poor condition of the city, with garbage strewn around and roads in bad shape.

“I had an overseas business visitor to Biocon Park who said, ‘Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn’t the Govt want to support investment?” she wrote.

She said the visitor, who recently arrived from China, remarked, “I have just come from China and can’t understand why India can’t get its act together, especially when the winds are favourable.”

The post drew Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who is also the minister in charge of Bengaluru development, to say the city deserves collective effort, not constant criticism.

“Yes, challenges exist, but we’re addressing them with focus and urgency. ₹1,100 crore has been sanctioned for road repairs, 10,000 potholes identified, and over 5,000 already fixed on priority. Major infrastructure works are underway to make Bengaluru more globally competitive,” he said in a post on ‘X’.

Under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the East Corporation alone will now retain ₹1,673 crore of its own revenues to directly improve infrastructure in 50 wards, directly benefiting the city’s IT corridors, the Deputy CM said.