Newly formed Aam Aadmi Party makes waves across India

A party vowing to fight corruption last month made a sensational debut in the New Delhi state assembly election.

Now an array of prominent Indians, from celebrities to corporate leaders, are joining the country's new political party, the Aam Aadmi Party - or Ordinary People's Party - in droves.

Among the latest in a long list of celebrities to join was internationally known dancer and social activist Mallika Sarabhai, who joined the party with 50 of her friends last week.

A few days earlier, Gorur Gopinath, the man who pioneered affordable air travel by launching the country's first budget airline, also joined.

Other corporate leaders like the former chief financial officer of India's biggest software company Infosys, V Balakrishnan, former India CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Meera Sanyal, and former CEO of Star TV India, Samir Nair, have already joined the party.

Indians living abroad have also donated generously and given up their time to work as volunteers. Hong Kong-based banker Amit Aggarwal donated US$80,000. And Dilip Pandey, who used to work for an IT firm in Hong Kong, returned to India last year to campaign for the party in Delhi where he played a key role in formulating its communications strategy.

"It is mindboggling. We're flooded. So many people want to join. It's as though they figure this is their chance to put their country on the right track," said Pandey.