Why Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party made an impact

New Delhi: As Delhi voted in record numbers on Wednesday in polls seen as an indicator of how India will vote in general elections just months away, a political debutant scoffed at by the Congress and the BJP has emerged the unlikely star. The tax officer turned politician Arvind Kejriwal and his nine-month-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have been pegged for a dream debut, with exit polls ahead of Sunday's verdict showing Mr Kejriwal winning 17 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, the same as the incumbent Congress, which has been in power for 15 years. This was the man of whom three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had said dismissively yesterday, "One man who lives in Ghaziabad comes to Delhi and thinks he can sweep Delhi clean. I mean is that even a party?" The AAP refused to work like a traditional party. With a focus on clean politics, the fledgling group went through an exhaustive process to select its candidates, from former media professional Shazia Ilmi to advocate Somnath Bharti. The newbies made sure that what they lacked in experience, they made up for in visibility, using the Gandhi cap and the humble broom as their calling card. Volunteers from across the country, even NRIs, took time off work to help out with backend election work. For the first time, a large number of professionals rolled up their sleeves and plunged into campaigning, a sign that politics was no longer anathema for them. Among these converts is Ranjeet, a businessman from Kuala Lumpur and Abhilash, a mechanical engineer from Bangalore. Ranjeet says he wanted to be part of a process for corruption-free politics. Abhilash said, "The belief is that politics is dirty. If you find your place dirty, you don't run away from it, you clean it." BJP candidate Vijender Gupta, who is contesting against Sheila Dikshit and Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat said, "Most of their volunteers are not from here. They won't be found after a few days." Congress' media in-charge Ajay Maken said, "Crowds around Aam Admi party is just extension of support for social causes. It won't translate into votes." AAP claims it will have the last laugh when the results are announced.   NDTV