Saurabh Bhardwaj: An engineer gets a political front seat

An engineer by profession, Saurabh Bhardwaj pulled off an upset in the high-profile Greater Kailash constituency by defeating scion of a veteran BJP leader and has now earned a top place for himself in the new government.

34-year-old Bhardwaj fought the elections in the BJP-stronghold and defeated Ajay Kumar Malhotra, son of the outgoing Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V K Malhotra by more than 13,000 votes in the decisive South Delhi constituency.

It was the rape of a poor girl that had shaken Bhardwaj and he had decided to fight for justice for the people. During this period he also figured that to provide justice in these matters, it was imperative to have legal knowledge.

"Bhardwaj was working in a private firm when in 2005 a horrendous incidence of rape happened with a poor girl... He studied law and regularly helps the poor in giving them all legal help possible," the AAP party website said.

He constantly raises his voice for the blind, poor students, flood affected and the old, it said.

Greater Kailash constituency comprises high-income voter groups residing in posh GK, C R Park, and the low and middle-income group living in Chirag Dilli village.

AAP's strategy did work in their favour and the constituency also saw an increase in voter turnout over last year's figure.

Bhardwaj knocked down Ajay Malhotra in the elections which saw the nascent party garnering 28 seats in a 70-member House by stunning political heavyweights in a debut that also halted BJP in its tracks.

Given V K Malhotra's absence from the state's political stage, the legacy failed to rub off on the next generation, allowing AAP to reap the benefits.