Manish Sisodia, who started as journalist emerges as Arvind Kejriwal's second-in-command

NEW DELHI: From journalism to anti-graft activism to the number two position in Delhi government, AAP leader Manish Sisodia has come a long way to emerge as a prominent figure in Delhi's political scene.

Apart from being Kejriwal's deputy, Sisodia will handle education, urban development and PWD- the second most important departments as they need an interface with the Centre.

Son of a teacher, the 43-year-old will implement AAP's educational agenda, which includes building of new schools and colleges and enhancing the infrastructure.

An avid follower of Gandhian principles, Sisodia is seen as a shadow of Kejriwal by party leaders as the two leaders enjoy an excellent personal relationship.

"Not sure if I'm a politician, activist, reader, writer, journalist or.... but I'm an Indian. I like Gandhi because he always moved ahead of his own identity," states Sisodia's twitter profile.

Sisodia started his career as a journalist after attaining a diploma in journalism, but he was more attracted to social work. He first formed NGO Kabir and then Parivartan, along with Kejriwal.

He later quit journalism to participate in the agitation for Right To Information. Like Kejriwal, he too pitched in drafting the nuances of the Right to Information Act and was a prominent figure in the movement since the India Against Corruption (IAC) days.

He was one of the founding members of the Janlokpal agitation and part of the team which chalked out its first draft. When Anna Hazare was arrested and sent to jail during the agitation, he too was sent to prison.

When Kejriwal decided to form the Aam Aadmi Party, Sisodia stood with him like a rock. He is also one of the founder members of the party and a member of the all powerful Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

After the party came to power, Sisodia looked after Education, PWD, Urban Development and Local Bodies portfolios in the 49-day AAP government that had resigned on February 14 last year on the Lokpal issue.

A two-time legislator, Sisodia has won from Patparganj constituency defeating BJP's Vinod Kumar Binny who was expelled from the party last year.