As the BJP inched closer to victory in the Assembly polls here by winning 31 seats, first-timer Aam Aadmi Party turned out to be a giant killer winning 27 seats, while the Congress was reduced to eight seats in a House of 70.
The people gave a decisive mandate against the Congress but didn’t give the absolute majority to any party. To form a government, any party or alliance will need 35 seats. The JD(U) and an independent have won one seat each.
As soon as the counting started on Sunday morning, a wave against the Congress was palpable as three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Public Works Minister Rajkumar Chauhan, Social Welfare Minister Kiran Walia, Health Minister Ashok Kumar Walia, Transport Minister Ramakant Goswami were seen trailing in the vote count.
Post noon, Congressmen sensed the party was losing heavily in almost 50 seats, and Dikshit sent her resignation to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najib Jung, who forwarded it to President Pranab Mukherjee.
“We have accepted defeat, and will see what went wrong,” she said. Asked whether the party failed to sense the public mood, a visibly irritated and emotional Dikshit retorted: “We are fools.” Dikshit lost to Arvind Kejriwal by a margin of 25,864 votes from New Delhi constituency.
In a media address, Kejriwal said: “The AAP performance is historical. Till now politics was done on the basis of religion, caste and by using strongmen. Today’s results show that people are fed up of such politics. The win of AAP candidates is the victory of the common man.”
“I congratulate Harshvardhan and the BJP,” he said. “We don’t have any personal enmity with Dikshit. It is a fight of issues” Kejriwal also made it clear that the AAP would neither seek nor accept the support of any other party.
Celebrations were in full swing outside the BJP headquarters on Ashoka Road and the party’s state unit office, music bands and fireworks adding to the euphoria.
While BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi could be seen playing drums, many party workers had posters of Narendra Modi in their hands.
Outside AAP office, party members were waving brooms (party symbol) and hailing the “common man’s” victory.
The state Congress office and the Chief Minister’s residence wore a deserted look after it became clear that the party was on its way out in the national capital.