Jaaferi pulls out all the stops to woo ‘aam aadmi’
Miles away from his lavish Mumbai lifestyle, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Jaaved Jaaferi is trying hard to shed his star status as he campaigns from dawn to dusk to reach out to Lucknow voters.
Dressed in white shirt, blue jeans, the trademark AAP cap and a stole around his neck, the actor-dancer and producer starts his day at 6 am with a light breakfast. An apple often comes handy during a hard day’s canvassing.
Very early in the day, Jaaferi, 52, interacts with morning walkers and as the day progresses he can be spotted canvassing at roadside juice corners, teashops and dhabas.
He even doesn’t mind pulling a rickshaw, travelling a few miles on it and then standing atop to address people using microphone to project himself in the typical ‘aam aadmi’ mould.
“I am not so much acquainted with the city. So I need to meet as many people in person as I can to feel the city’s pulse and also introduce myself to them,” says Jaaferi between sips of sugarcane juice at a roadside vendor near Munshi Pulia on Friday.
Winning or losing is another matter, but wherever Jaaferi goes, nearly two-dozen party workers in tow, he is received with warmth.
He g reets them back by waiving his hand and uttering ‘Asalamualaikum’ or ‘Jai Hind’. He doesn’t mind posing for photos or selfies with fans as he walks down the lanes and bylanes.
“Given his celebrity status, he has infused a fresh vigour into the campaign with his relentless efforts to connect with the voters,” says Abdullah Khan Raju, Jaaferi’s associate for good 14 years.