India

LIVE Delhi elections: Modi wave hits Kejri Wall as AAP wins Capital in landslide victory

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New Delhi: Delhi has chosen the Aam Aadmi Party as its leader for the next five years, in a historic and decisive mandate that its leader Arvind Kejriwal called “scary”.

More than an absolute majority was bequeathed on the anti-corruption crusaders and it seems all combinations came together to carry the party to the Delhi Assembly.

Even exit polls were wrong! While they had unanimously spoken in favour of an AAP victory, they were way off the final figures. Even the most generous poll had not given AAP more than 50 seats in the 70-member House. But the AAP is likely to win 67. That leaves the BJP very red-faced with only three, and the Congress with no face at all – with zero.

AAP leader Arvind Kejri’wall’ thanked the people for this “scary support”, held forth his “virtuous path” as the reason behind this mandate and said he would be “everybody’s CM”. He will take oath as Delhi chief minister on February 14.

Thought to be a close competitor, the BJP failed miserably to read the signs that were evident from the buzzing AAP poll booths on election day itself.

As soon as counting began to call the Delhi Assembly elections, AAP took a decisisve lead over its nearest political competitor and had shot out of orbit as the minutes progressed.

Very, very soon, the AAP was headed towards an absolute majority, something that had eluded it in the December 2013 elections.

BJP’s chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi lost from Krishna Nagar, a party safe seat. The wave was such that no seats were safe these elections for the BJP. Bedi thanked the BJP for its support and took full responsibility for the defeat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Arvind Kejriwal to congratulate him and to say they would work together. Kejriwal said he was looking forward to meeting the Prime Minister. It is learnt Modi has invited the future Delhi chief minister for tea.

Celebrations predictably started early in AAP headquarters as early leads turned into a massive mandate. AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said: “It was just not the underclass, but the middle class also voted AAP.”

The battle to win control over the city has seen a resurgent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) this time. While the BJP rode its ‘Modi juggernaut’, the AAP fell back on it rainbow base of the urban rich and the poor. With the Congress a complete pushover in recent elections, the minority vote also went to AAP. In fact, the Congress never looked it would even win one seat from the very beginning.

As the BJP ran for cover, its parting shot was: “This is not an anti-NDA wave. This was a referendum on Kejriwal. It is a positive vote for AAP, but not a negative vote for BJP.” Political pundits said the BJP now has the budget at the end of this month to raise its stocks among the voteratti. BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said: “People felt they should be given a chance.”

The AAP wave first claimed Congress’ chief ministerial candidate and party general secretary Ajay Maken as Maken resigned from the post after his party’s woeful performance.
Read: Delhi poll debacle: Ajay Maken takes responsibility, resigns as Congress General Secretary

All exit polls had given AAP a decisive edge over the Bharatiya Janata Party, with one of them predicting the ‘jhadoo’ would get 53 seats in the 70-member House.

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