Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party for is massive victory in the Assembly elections in the national Capital. “Wishing them the very best in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Delhi,” Modi tweeted.
Earlier in the afternoon, Bharatiya Janata Party President JP Nadda said the party would play the role of a constructive Opposition in Delhi. Nadda congratulated Aam Aadmi party leader and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and hoped his government would work for the development of the national Capital.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, who had asked party workers not to lose heart earlier in the day and hoped for more than 48 seats, thanked the voters of Delhi. “We respect the mandate of people,” he tweeted. “Arvind Kejriwal congratulations to you.” Later, addressing the media, Tiwari said he hoped the chief minister would “perform well as per the expectations of the people”.
Twitter celebrity and Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga also conceded the race. At 4.45 pm, he was trailing Rajkumari Dhillon of the Aam Aadmi Party by 19,642 votes. “Congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal ji and the workers of the Aam Aadmi Party,” he tweeted.
BJP MP Gautam Gambhir told ANI that the party tried its best but could not convince the electorate. “Congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal on returning as the chief minister of Delhi and all the winning MLAs,” he tweeted. “I want to assure him that development of Delhi and welfare of citizens will be the top priority for everyone!”
Bharatiya Janata Party’s ally Janata Dal (United) also commented on the Kejriwal-led party’s massive victory. “Janata maalik hai [public is the boss],” NDTV quoted JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as saying. The JD(U) contested in two of Delhi’s 70 constituencies, with Kumar campaigning in three seats. With this defeat, the BJP continued its poor performance in state elections. Last year, the party lost power in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Bihar will go to the polls later this year.
Earlier in the day, as the early trends appeared to suggest a massive mandate for AAP, a poster in the BJP office in the city tried to sound optimistic. “Victory doesn’t make us egoistic, and defeat doesn’t disappoint us,” it read. The poster had a picture of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who led the saffron party’s campaign.
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