Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday conceded defeat in the Punjab and Goa assembly polls and said he accepted the people’s mandate.
Kejriwal praised the Aam Aadmi Party workers for their hard work in the elections.
“We accept the people’s mandate (in the assembly polls) with full humility. All party workers worked very hard. Our struggle will continue,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader tweeted.
Ever since the February 4 elections in the two states, the AAP was supremely confident of coming to power in Punjab by “winning not less than 100 seats”, and hoped to emerge as a major player in Goa as well.
However, the AAP won only 20 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly, and failed to open its account in Goa. Its Punjab ally, Lok Insaaf Party, won two seats.
Another AAP leader Ashutosh said the party was disappointed but added that becoming the main opposition in the border state of Punjab was also an achievement.
He said the party leaders will meet soon and introspect what went wrong.
“We were hoping to form a government in Punjab,” Ashutosh said.
“We are disappointed with the result. But for a new party, even coming at the second place is a big thing. Don’t underestimate this.”
The Congress comfortably won in Punjab, defeating both the AAP, which was confident of taking power, and the ruling Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance.
AAP founder leader Kumar Vishwas said: “We didn’t get the mandate we expected (in Punjab). Our best wishes to the BJP and Congress for a good win (in different states) and to all our candidates who fought well.
“Becoming the main opposition in the assembly is an achievement. We will introspect what went wrong.”
Kumar Vishwas, a confidant of Kejriwal, said the Punjab debacle will not affect the AAP in the upcoming Delhi municipal polls.
“We will be fighting the municipal polls on the strength of what we have achieved in Delhi. We are sure to get a good mandate.”
Over the course of the day as it became clear that the AAP had lost badly in Punjab and Goa, gloom enveloped Kejriwal’s residence here.
As late as last week, AAP leader and Punjab’s election strategist Sanjay Singh boasted that the party would not win less than 100 of the 117 seats, wiping out both the Congress and the Akali Dal-BJP combine.
When the votes were counted yesterday, the reverse happened. The Akali-BJP did lose but the Congress stormed back to power with a thumping majority.
AAP activists, stunned into silence, slowly began dispersing from outside Kejriwal’s residence, taking away the brooms - the party symbol - they had brought along.
Shock and disappointment was writ large on everyone’s face. Many refused to speak to journalists.
Slowly, arrangements made for the announcement of the election results from Punjab and Goa were removed. In Goa, the AAP fared much worse, not winning even one seat.
A large TV screen placed outside Kejriwal’s residence displaying the live trends and results was switched off as the day progressed.
AAP workers also removed the tricolour balloons used to decorate the street leading to Kejriwal’s residence.
An audio system, playing songs since the morning about the AAP and its election symbol broom, was switched off. The loud speakers were removed by around 1pm.
Soon after, the entire area wore a deserted look.
Red carpet and decorative balloons are seen outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi yesterday. The AAP had made elaborate arrangements to celebrate confident of coming to power in Punjab and emerging as a major player in Goa. However, the party fared badly in both states.
