Punekar all set to spread Kejriwal magic in Varanasi

Arvind Kejriwal stunned the country when he emerged as the dark horse in the Delhi assembly elections last year. The man who played a major role in strengthening Kejriwal's political campaign strategy was 66-year-old Pune resident Kishor Mujumdar.

A loyal worker: Kishor Mujumdar is confident that in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, too, AAP will win a substantial no of seats, just like they did in Delhi. Pics/Mohan Patil

Mujumdar contributed greatly in defeating Sheila Dixit's government with a well-oiled stratagem two-months prior to the polls, which struck a chord with the young and restless voters.

Now, he has his sleeves rolled up for the Varanasi polls, where AAP chief Kejriwal has openly challenged BJP candidate and prime ministerial nominee Modi in a political duel in Varanasi.

While Mujumdar has his heart set on the Varanasi elections, he is currently campaigning for Pune's AAP candidate Subhash Ware. Soon after the polls on April 17 in the city, Mujumdar will wholeheartedly focus on his next mission in the holy city.

"Ours is a new party and we need to mobilise our workers during the elections. The Varanasi election is scheduled on May 12, and there will be almost a month's gap between the Pune and Varanasi elections. That's why I have decided to go there to support Arvind Kejriwal, and to be a part of this big fight," Mujumdar said.

Pune Lok Sabha AAP candidate, Subhash Ware, confirmed that once the LS polls in the city would aconclude on April 17, he, along with his workers, will campaign for their party in other states. "Yes. Party workers are free to go to other states after election in the city is over," Ware told mid-day.

Delhi experience
During the Delhi state assembly elections, Mujumdar actively participated in the whole election process, right from campaigning to managing the affairs in Delhi's Shahadara constituency.

After working closely with Kejriwal, Mujumdar said, "He is a studied person. Although many times, the media has targeted him for some of his decisions, in my opinion, not a single move of his has gone wrong."

He said, "As per my calculations, we were sure to win around 15 seats. But, the results were overwhelming and we won 28 seats. My past experience tells me that in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections too, AAP will win a substantial no of seats," Mujumdar said.

Rubbishing claims of the ‘Modi wave', he added, "During my childhood, which I spent in a small village in Harda district of Madhya Pradesh, at the time of elections, there were speculations of how RSS' stronghold would win the Jan Sangh many seats. But, 60 years have passed and this has not become a reality in my village. The same goes for the Modi wave."