NEW DELHI - Donning a fake pearl necklace with a pendant of Lord Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, Mr Naresh Kumar was one among a throng of people tailing a pickup truck decked in strings of marigold flowers.

Riding on the truck through the crammed Chirag Dilli neighbourhood in Delhi was a man dressed up as Hanuman – his limbs covered in faux fur, despite the intense summer heat – along with Mr Saurabh Bharadwaj, a top leader from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).