Clean sweep

Viewed as a rising star of the AAP, Raghav Chadha has handled several key assignments for his party

- SONI MISHRA

IT WAS THE FAG END of the India Against Corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare. Raghav Chadha, who was 22 back then, had begun his practice as a chartered accountant. He sought an appointment with Arvind Kejriwal, the prime mover of the campaign. And the rest is history.

Like many young professionals who were drawn to the Anna Andolan, Chadha, too, was deeply influenced by it. Fresh from the UK after completing his master’s in finance from the London School of Economics, Chadha was looking to establish his practice as a CA, but he felt he could chip in with a few hours of voluntary work. What began as four hours of work in a week for the anti-corruption cause turned into a full-time commitment and an entry into politics when the Aam Aadmi Party was formed in November 2012.

Today, if the AAP is recognised as the fastest-growing political startup, and its victory in Punjab has provided it with a perch outside the national capital, Chadha has had a crucial role to play in the journey.

He was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed, along with four other nominees of the AAP for five seats from Punjab that are falling vacant in April. From a political novice representing a fledgling AAP before the news cameras, Chadha has risen rapidly to become the youngest member of the 'house of elders', the Rajya- Sabha.