AAP and Kejriwal set to sweep Delhi polls as party leads in 59 seats

New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party was on course to script history as the party was headed towards a landslide victory with a lead in a staggering 59 seats in the 70-member assembly while its nearest rival BJP was ahead in only 12 seats. The Congress was leading in only one seat while INLD was ahead in another seat. AAP chief Kejriwal was leading in the prestigious New Delhi constituency while BJP’s Chief Ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi was trailing in Krishna Nagar seat, considered a traditional stronghold of the party. Congress’ Ajay Maken was trailing in Sadar Bazar seat. Expressing happiness over the party’s performance, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said, “it was not just under class, but the middle class also voted for AAP. The (Narendra Modi) juggernaut seems to have halted at least for now.” [caption id=“attachment_2076187” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AAP is set to sweep Delhi. PTI[/caption] Reacting to the election trends, BJP said the polls were a referendum on Kejriwal and it should not be linked to the performance of Narendra Modi government. “I do not see in this way,” BJP spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said when asked whether the elections were a referendum on Modi’s performance. “In this election it was a referendum on Arvind Kejriwal. That’s how people of Delhi saw it. I think people have certainly voted for Kejriwal. It was a referendum of AAP’s 49 days in office and its performance. People felt they should be given a chance,” he said. Hailing AAP’s performance, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the election result of Delhi a turning point in the country’s political situation. “Delhi election is a turning point of the present political situation. Shows political vendetta has no place in a democracy. Country needed this change,” she said in a tweet. This is a victory for the people and a big defeat for the arrogant and those who are doing political vendetta & spreading hate among people," Banerjee said in another tweet. As trends showed AAP’s thumping victory, Bedi said she will take responsibility if BJP was defeated in the polls. Bedi was trailing after two rounds round of counting in the Krishna Nagar constituency. AAP candidate and former Minister Rakhi Birla was leading in Mangolpuri constituency in North West Delhi against her Congress rival Raj Kumar Chouhan. Another former AAP Minister Somnath Bharti was ahead in Malviya Nagar constituency in South Delhi over his Congress opponent Yoganand Shastri. AAP leader and former Minister Manish Sisodia was leading in Patparganj seat in East Delhi against ex-AAP MLA and BJP candidate Vinod Kumar Binny. BJP’s Jagdish Mukhi was ahead in Janakpuri. Former AAP Minister Sourav Bhardwaj was leading from Greater Kailash where Congress’ had fielded President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee. AAP’s Sharad Chauhan was leading in Narela. AAP was also leading in Mehrauli, Kasturba Nagar and Jangpur. With early leads giving the party a considerable lead, hundreds of AAP supporters broke into celebrations and raised slogans ‘paanch saal Kejriwal’ (5 years for Kejriwal). Every lead projected on the massive LCD screen set up at AAP’s East Patel Nagar office was being cheered by supporters. Kejriwal reached the office early in the morning and is expected to address supporters after the final results are declared. Senior party leaders Sisodia, Kumar Vishwas, Yogendra Yadav and Sanjay Singh were also present at the three-storey office and monitoring the results from there. PTI