The newly-announced position of federal Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in the incoming Obama administration, has two frontrunners – both of them distinguished, India-born technology executives!

While one of them, Padmasree Warrior, is the chief technology officer Cisco Systems, the Silicon Valley networking giant; the other, Vivek Kundra, is the chief technology officer in the government of Washington, D. C since 2007.

The former CTO of Motorola, Warrior symbolizes hard-core technology know-how; whilst Kundra, who has held similar government positions in the past, is better known for using technology to make government more open and comprehensive.

Born and raised in India, Warrior holds degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and Cornell University. For many years, she lived in Chicago, from where Obama embarked on his political career.

Kundra too was born in India, but raised in Tanzania till the age of 11, after which his family moved to Maryland. He holds degrees from the University of Maryland, and has been advising Obama’s transition team on technology issues.

Before long, the President-elect Barack Obama would be announcing his pick for CTO. According to a source familiar with the proceeding, the selection is being stalled for the time being, chieflt due to a still somewhat undefined interaction between the prospective CTO and the chief information officer of the government - a position now held by Karen Evans.