The young face of AAP's developmental politics

New Delhi: After winning the Rajinder Nagar by-election by a margin of 11,433 votes Durgesh Pathak said that his victory is a reflection of what a young citizen from an ordinary family like his can achieve under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. He also added that it is a victory of the idea of development that is propagated by his party for the overall welfare of citizens.

Followers of AAP on social media have already labeled him as "the brightest student of the Kejriwal school of politics." His victory has also debunked BJP's 'outsider' label used against him during the campaign.

Pathak who came to Delhi in 2010 for UPSC preparations hails from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has a master's degree in English from Allahabad University and as per AAP's website is the youngest member of its political affairs committee.

During his days as a UPSC aspirant he studied the constitution and about the country which 'inspired' him

to join the 'India Against Corruption' movement led by Anna Hazare. During the movement he was deeply convinced of Arvind Kejriwal's leadership skills and ever since AAP's inception he has been one of its core members.

He has held key party positions and has served as co-convener of both Delhi and Punjab elections in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Sources within the party said that his hard work as election manager brought positive results for the party which raised his stature within the party.

In the 2020 Delhi assembly elections, Pathak contested from the Karawal

Nagar seat which he lost to the BJP candidate.

Post victory, Pathak's immediate strategy is to familiarise himself with the people of Rajinder Nagar constituency which he feels will enable a sense of comfort and trust towards him. This shall lead to people being open and honest about their problems to their representative as per Pathak. Solving the water crisis in the constituency, getting the work completed of the hospital in Naraina and improving the sewer lines are top priorities on Pathak's to-do list. Pathak's ideology is based on people's welfare, zero tolerance towards corruption and creating better governance structures. An avid vegetarian, Pathak loves to cook

himself whenever he finds the time for it.