A political party established in November 2012 became a ray of hope for voters in Delhi. Kejriwal went on to defeat three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Delhiites disillusioned with corruption and poor governance put their faith in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Kejriwal, an engineer by training and a former joint commissioner with the income tax department. His single-minded, focussed approach to fighting corruption helped him to create a paradigm shift in Indian politics. India is ranked 94th among 177 nations in the global corruption index by Transparency International.
His leadership style is distinct from that of other successful political leaders. He is not charismatic and does not project himself as a messiah who can solve India's problems. He does not leave you spellbound with his carefully crafted speeches or his strong persona that promises the moon to the masses.
Instead he resembles the ordinary educated middle class man, firmly aligned to values like justice, equality, truth and transparency. Like N.R. Narayana Murthy among IT industrialists, he is grounded in the principle that leaders need to be a role model.
He demonstrates what is called "Servant Leadership", a style that focusses, primarily, on the growth and well-being of its people and its communities. While traditional leadership generally involves accumulation and exercise of power by one at the "top of the pyramid", servant leadership is different.
The servant-leader shares power and puts the needs of others first.
