Praveen Kumar is one of the 67 newly-elected legislators of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.
He could be any one of the thousands of MBA graduates in Delhi, with dreams big enough to defy the reality of his two-room house and modest means. But Praveen Kumar is today a lawmaker in this city - one of the 67 newly-elected legislators of the Aam Aadmi Party - and he is still trying to get used to his new-found celebrity status.
The Member of Legislative Assembly in Jangpura had quit his job in a MNC to join Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement in 2011. When Arvind Kejriwal, one of the most prominent figures in the movement, formed the AAP, Praveen decided to join him.
Mr Kumar's father runs a tyre repair shop in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and earns just enough for the family to sustain itself. "We worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to educate our children," says his mother Urmila.
He would not have had the opportunity to contest the election if he had been the member of any party other than the AAP, believes Mr Kumar. "The AAP's specialty is that anyone can be selected (to contest as a candidate), you don't need money to contest," he says.
Ajay Dutt, AAP legislator from South Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar, had also started off with a dream: he wanted to become an IAS officer. But financial constraints faced by his family forced him to drop out of coaching classes for civil services exams; he had to take up a job in an IT company to support his family.
"I understand the problems of the area and those faced by the common man. I will work to change the ground reality," he says.
But not everyone in the Aam Aadmi Party is an 'aam aadmi' (common man). The party also fielded the second richest candidate in Delhi elections- Pramila Tokas from RK Puram constituency - who declared assets worth Rs 87 crores in her election affidavit.
"Is it wrong to be rich? Why does it matter? We have earned it honestly," she says defensively.
But candidates like Tokas are few; most AAP candidates are from humble, non-political backgrounds signalling a refreshing change in Indian politics.