2014 election is of middle class, says PepsiCo India CEO

Batting for the middle class, PepsiCo India Chairman & CEO Shiv Shivakumar today said this election belongs to them and they would define policies, governance and also what is right for the society.

He also said about 170 of the 543 constituencies in the country will be influenced by the social media which is used by the middle class to express their opinions.

Shivakumar, who was earlier Nokia's Senior Vice President (India, Middle East & Asia) said the middle class feels left out.

"In 2014 we are poised for a very definitive moment. Why, because this is the election of the middle class. Middle class is the same, the rich would take care of themselves.

"The poor would be taken care by the government. Who would take care of me and as a result they are using the cellphone and social media to voice their opinion," he said at the AGM of the American Chamber of Commerce here.

Shivakumar said social media will influence about 170 of the total 543 constituencies in the country.

"We have 140 million first time voters. We never have in a history of the nation such a defining moment. The middle class, I believe, would define policies, governance and also what is right for society ... They would challenge every government," he emphasised.ICRIER Director and Chief Executive Rajat Kathuria opined that 2014 elections are the defining moments of the country.

"Which ever government comes to power, I think defining moments are going to be in the first two and two-and-a-half years time, when tough decision are going to be taken. We are seeing dust of a change," he said.

Hewlett Packard India Managing Director Neelam Dhawan termed 2014 as 'an year of change'.

"Giving a young population, I think there is a haste to the sense of urgency because in the five years life for a human being is a lot. So we cannot thinking in terms of 10 years and 20 years. We would have a very short term outcome kind of specifications," said GE India President and CEO Banmali Agrawala.