AAP carries out day-long celebration as Delhi election results hand it victory

The BJP registered a lead in just eight seats while the Congress failed to win even one for the second time in a row.

Arvind Kejriwal and his wife Sunita greet AAP supporters at party headquarters in Delhi | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

New Delhi: Tuesday was a euphoric day for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the results to the 70-seat Delhi assembly gave the party the mandate to form the next government.

Trends put AAP in the lead as early as 9am, and the tally only climbed upwards. For a few hours, the BJP gave AAP a close fight in several constituencies, including Okhla, where the Shaheen Bagh protest is happening, in deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s Patparganj, and Kalkaji, where Atishi was contesting. By late afternoon, AAP had won these seats.

As of 8:30pm, BJP had won only seven seats, with a lead in just one more, while the rest of the constituencies were bagged by AAP. The result is the latest in the national party’s slew of assembly election losses.

Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal thanked supporters at the party headquarters where celebrations were underway all day. Kejriwal, who is set to be Delhi CM again, was accompanied by his family and other party leaders | Photo: Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

AAP workers kicked off the celebrations around 9am after early trends gave the party a lead in 38 seats, two more than the halfway mark of 36 | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

A video of AAP supporters dancing and singing to their version of ‘Rinkiya ke Papa’ surfaced on social media. The song is an apparent dig at Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, a Bhojpuri singer who also rendered a popular version of the song | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

‘Baby Kejriwal’ was AAP’s celebrity today as photos of the child, who is dressed in Arvind Kejriwal’s trademark style, were widely shared by many people. The one-year-old’s photo was first shared by AAP | Photo: Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

Supporters raised slogans in support of AAP at the party headquarters | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

By afternoon, AAP’s victory became clear as the EC declared more than 36 seats were won by the party | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Pamphlets in support of AAP were strewn around | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

The latest trends put the AAP ahead in 62 seats  | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Some AAP supporters played with holi colours to celebrate Aam Aadmi Party’s victory | Photo: Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha, who won from Rajinder Nagar seat, shows the victory sign | Photo: Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

Some AAP supporters mock feed a sweet to a photo of BJP leader and Union Minister Amit Shah | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari at his residence | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala (left), Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra (centre), and former MP P.C. Chacko  address a press conference | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint