New Delhi: Delhi has given a historic mandate to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) this time, carrying it on its shoulders to an absolute majority in the Delhi Assembly.

Thought to be a close competitor, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not been able to garner even one-seventh the seats, failing miserably to read the signs that were evident from the buzzing AAP poll booths on election day itself.

As soon as counting began to call the Delhi Assembly elections, AAP took a decisisve lead over its nearest political competitor and continued to steadily build over it as the hours progressed.

Very soon, the AAP was headed towards an absolute majority, something that had eluded it in the December 2013 elections. The margin of the victory 54 per cent vote share outpaced even the most generous of exit polls, as the party swept Delhi and flicked the BJP off its path to the Assembly House.

Accepting defeat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Arvind Kejriwal to congratulate him and to say they would work together. Kejriwal said he was looking forward to meeting the Prime Minister. It is learnt Modi has invited the future Delhi chief minister for tea.

Celebrations predictably started early in AAP headquarters as leads turned into a mandate. Party member Manish Sisodia said they were confident of forming a government. AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said: “It was just no the underclass, but the middle class also voted AAP.”

On the other hand, as the gap between AAP and BJP irrevocably widened, BJP’s chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi said: “We (Arvind Kejriwal and her) both are competing. We both are playing a match. When we play, one person has to win. If the party wins, it will be a collective victory and if the party loses, I will take responsibility.” She was at that time trailing from Krishna Nagar, considered a party safe seat.

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