From IIT to Delhi CM's chair: Arvind Kejriwal's remarkable journey so far

New Delhi, Feb 14: For Arvind Kejriwal, who assumed charge as Delhi's eighth Chief Minister today, it has been a remarkable journey since AAP's drubbing in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as he led the party to a spectacular victory in Delhi.

46-year-old Kejriwal, known for his sheer determination and grit, devised an "out-of-the-box" campaign strategy to enthuse the fledging party to a historic victory in the Assembly polls winning 67 of the 70 seats.

It was dubbed as a David vs Goliath battle considering enormous effort put by

to wrest power in the capital. AAP's triumph is not only seen as a landslide victory but also a rallying point for the opposition to take on the BJP government, in the process propelling Kejriwal as a major figure in the national political scene.

Kejriwal's major challenge would be to implement his poll promises, some of which critics feel, will not be easy to fulfil. The stupendous victory was being considered significant in the political landscape as the bespectacled IITian put a brake to the string of electoral triumphs for BJP since the May Lok Sabha polls.

All major opposition parties saw AAP's victory as a signal for opposition forces to come together to take on the saffron challenge.

Quietly spreading his party's wings after the Lok Sabha poll debacle in which AAP failed to open its account, the activist-turned-politician achieved the feat by taking his "participative politics" model to the masses through a strong army of dedicated volunteers and his sheer perseverance.

Kejriwal, who had faced huge criticism for resigning as the Chief Minister after remaining in power for 49-days, expanded the party's base by anchoring an unconventional approach to take AAP beyond his support base of the poor and lower middle class families.

PTI