New Delhi: Behind the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) spectacular victory lay a team of young, skilled and suave men, most of whom gave up studies or steady jobs in order to bring about change in electoral politics in India.
While energetic candidates in the fray were prominently featured during the election campaign, it is the backroom team which silently wrote the script this time.
From candidate selection, to political campaigning, to raising funds, Kejriwal’s backroom boys gave AAP an awe-inspiring push back against arch rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. Kejriwal handpicked and groomed his team personally to script a grand strategy for a do-or-die battle in Delhi.
The backroom boys overcame a variety of hurdles to pursue their avowed quest for clean politics in the country. But the journey has not been very smooth. They enjoyed the time when Kejriwal had occupied the chief minister’s chair in December 2013, but after 49 days, when he quit abruptly, they got their share of humiliation too.
They sacrificed their chances to make millions and joined the cause of creating a corruption-free society. Significantly, the key to AAP’s success has been the manner in which they have managed the media. The periodic exposes were a crucial tool to keep the media engaged.
From intense fire-fighting when a splinter group of volunteers accused them of using ‘hawala’ (illegal money transfers) for funds to countering BJP’s accusations that ranged from “Naxalite” to “anarchist” to “monkey” to “toxic’’ against Kejriwal, the duo managed a small team to put the party’s message across.
Among others, software professional Pankaj Gupta has been in charge of AAP’s finances ever since the party was founded. This time he was given the target of raising Rs250 million (Dh14.7 million) to fight this election.
Vaibhav Singh, who works as an engineer for a software firm in Delhi, was a key supporter of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement of 2013 but when the political class broke its promise of passing the Jan Lokpal (anti corruption) Bill, he joined AAP as an online communication response team member.
Information Technology (IT) expert Dileep Pandey left Hong Kong and deftly oversaw communications for AAP. Durgesh Pathak came to Delhi from Allahabad for Indian Administrative Services (IAS) entrance exams but chose to stay on, helping AAP in its door-to-door campaigns.
Corporate behavioural skills trainer Dinup Mathew made presentations and prepared surveys for AAP. He was fed up of greasing palms of government officials in his previous job.
“Bribing all and sundry to get the most routine work done is a norm here in this country. I had no option but to move out of that vicious circle. AAP was the only logical option for me,” he cribs.
Likewise, former journalist Nagendra Sharma quit mainstream daily the Hindustan Times to join AAP just before the assembly polls in 2013. He handled the unenviable task of tackling the national media.
