Arvind Kejriwal interacts with volunteers at Aam Aadmi Party's office in Delhi.
The Aam Aadmi Party headquarters in Delhi is buzzing as people walk into the "swaraj kaksh" or the room for self-rule, the name given to reception area of the campaign office.
On entering, you come across TN Panchapakasan or TPN as he is fondly called here. Till four months ago, TPN was the chief operating officer at one of India's leading BPOs. He quit to work as an AAP volunteer and is now a key member of the party's legal and media outreach team.
The 34-year-old quit his day job, he says, because "you get very few opportunities in life...everyone is patriotic. But one saw a ray of hope, when a common man gets a chance to contribute. That's why I joined."
He admits that a number of people were shocked at his decision, but says, "I think I listened to my heart."
TPN is not alone. Dr Munish Kumar Raizada, a neo-natal specialist from Chicago, took a sabbatical to work as a volunteer with AAP in Delhi. He coordinates with potential NRI donors; so far about 25 percent of the more than 13 crores that AAP has collected has come from NRIs
Dr Raizada says it was a tough decision. "But my family is supporting me - my wife is an anesthesiologist in Chicago and I have two kids," he shares.
Activist Arvind Kejrwal's AAP, which says it wants to bring sweeping changes in the system - its election symbol is a broom - is making its political debut in this year's Delhi Assembly elections, to be held on December 4.
The party is banking on people like TPN, Dr Raizada and Saman Qureshi to make its ambitious bid work.
Saman, 22, is young , motivated and articulate; she put a job offer from an NGO on hold to work for AAP till the elections.
"There was a void, I felt that no matter what we did nothing came of it as our leadership did not want to help the masses. When you come here you find out that everyone is connected. "
A floor above the swaraj kaksh, the party's top generals meet to discuss strategy and brief volunteers. As party leader Sanjay Singh talks to women volunteers, there is barely standing space in the room.
In the kitchen, the Bansals, a middle class couple who have temporarily closed their small jewellery shop to help out at the AAP camp, prepare meals for volunteers from out of town. They arrive at the party office at 7 every morning and leave past 7 in the evening.
AAP says an average 50 people join every day as volunteers at the New Delhi centre. At the exit, Professor Ramesh Reddy, a college principal from Andhra, is busy filling out a form to volunteer.
Why is he in Delhi? "This is a chance to make a change. A chance to do what's right," the professor says.