AAP Bites Dust, Party Members Desert Office

CHENNAI: The number of AAP cadre outside their TN Headquarters at Perungudi on counting day was exactly the same as the number of seats the party managed to win in the State — zero.

With none of the AAP’s candidates, including anti-nuke activists S P Udayakumar and M Pushparayan, coming close to winning a seat, the AAP’s volunteers opted to steer clear of their TN party headquarters.

Walking into the deserted AAP office, one could find only a handful of committee members glued to the TV, bemoaning the party’s defeat. And speaking to the AAP’s Campaign Committee convener David Barunkumar drew out their disappointment.  “We do not know why this happened. We know we have a lot of goodwill among the electorate. Why that did not translate into votes is something we will have to take a long look at,” he said.

The members seemed to derive a little consolation from the fact that the party managed to secure a few seats in Punjab. “We are happy that some of our candidates in Punjab did well. But as far as the State is concerned, I have to say we can only take this in our stride,” he said.