Confidence in Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party has hit record levels after he became the Chief Minister of Delhi in a surprise twist no one saw coming. Now with ambitious plans of contesting the general elections from maximum seats this year, the party has seen an increasing influx of top professionals join the party that espouses removal of corruption. Here are the five professionals who have decided to pursue political ambitions and ride the AAP wave.
Captain G. R. Gopinath
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The founder of erstwhile Air Deccan and pioneer of low-cost airlines in India, Captain G. R. Gopinath has joined the movement against corruption by joining the Aam Aadmi Party as he was drawn to the India Against Corruption movement founded by Anna Hazare. Upon joining he wrote on his blog that he felt more than a political party, AAP is a movement for clean politics of humility, transparency, honesty, good governance and inner party democracy. And he feels he must give his time to support the party and help build it into an enduring organisation.
Mallika Sarabhai
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Danseuse, social activist and actor Mallika Sarabhai is among the notable women who have joined hands with Arvind Kejriwal's party to ensure that the party wins maximum seats in the general elections in Gujarat. A vocal critic of Narendra Modi, Sarabhai's inclusion in the AAP will set up the stage for an interesting fight for votes in Gujarat. Speaking to reporters, Sarabhai said her values aligned with the Aam Aadmi Party that led her to join the party.
V Balakrishnan
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AAP's acceptance by the business community has gone through rough weather in the past but with V Balakrishnan, Infosys' former CFO, joining the party, the estrangement may finally be coming to a close. Balakrishnan wrote in a blog that "I think it is necessary for all like-minded people to join together and support the AAP movement in whatever way they can. Lot of youngsters I spoke to were craving for a change and there is a silent revolution happening in the country. I genuinely want to be part of such a change and revolution. I strongly believe that the real impact of AAP will be felt in the 2014 parliamentary elections."
Meera Sanyal
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Meera Sanyal was the head of Royal Bank of Scotland in India until March 2013 and is a well-known name in the banking sector. She joined AAP after being influenced by Kejriwal's "idealism, integrity and courage". She believes the party is bringing about a "peaceful but powerful revolution" in the country and has pledged her support to the party to fight corruption in high places.
Adarsh Shastri
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Adarsh Shastri's grandfather is the late Lal Bahadur Shastri, former Prime Minister of India. Adarsh himself left a cushy job with Apple Inc to join Arvind Kejriwal's AAP even though his grandfather was a Congress loyalist. Adarsh, who said he was impressed with Kejriwal's conviction, is willing to take up any job with the party and the pedigree he brings with him will definitely come in handy.
Ashutosh
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Former IBN 7 editor-in-chief Ashutosh is among the latest entrants to the AAP. Stressing on the need to change the system, the former journalist who covered Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement in great detail believes that the country's two main parties - Congress and BJP - do not have any ideology and that he believes AAP will bring about credible change in India.
Medha Patkar
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Eminent social activist Medha Patkar has announced her complete support to AAP via her National Alliance of People's Movements that takes active interests in many grassroots-level movements across India. Patkar said that her organisation's micro and macro economics issues agree with AAP's policies.
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