Aviation pioneer loses election in Bangalore

Captain Gopinath took the Southwest Airlines /Jet Blue model to India’s aviation market. Low-cost fares, no-frills service,  and  internet-only booking were the hallmarks of his Deccan Air, which he rival sold to Kingfisher in 2007 and is now operated as Kingfisher Red.

Gopinath contested and lost from the Parliamentary constituency of Bangalore (south) as an “Independent” candidate and ran an internet savvy campaign in this high tech city.  His campaign  website carried links to Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter, even Wikipedia!  He enlisted the support of business leaders, but Indian polticss is another game altogether. Bangalore is not like New York in that sense where a Michael Bloomberg can readily make the transition from entrpreneur to Mayor in one swoop.