Sharad Pawar congratulates Kejriwal with a pun, forsees wider repercussions of verdict

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday congratulated Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for AAP’s fantastic victory in the Delhi Assembly polls. In a reference to AAP’s election symbol ‘Broom’, Pawar termed AAP’s performance as a “sweeping victory”. Addressing a press conference, he contended that the repercussions of this verdict would be felt all over the country. Maintaining that BJP’s defeat was not unexpected, he concluded that the attempt to perpetrate a religious divide had been rejected by people.  

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Speaking at a press briefing, Sharad Pawar added, "The verdict of Delhi is not limited to Delhi alone. People from all over India come to Delhi and they too participated in the election. This implies that there is an atmosphere of change in their respective states as well. There is despondency within BJP. People have not accepted BJP’s attempt to divide the society on religious lines. This defeat was on expected lines."

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The Delhi Assembly elections

Since the announcement of the Delhi Assembly polls, the national capital has witnessed a high-octane campaign mainly by BJP and AAP. Right at the outset, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made it clear that his party would focus on issues such as clean water, education, and health. He asserted that AAP would not indulge in negative campaigning. 

On the other hand, BJP refrained from naming any CM candidate. It named a newcomer Sunil Yadav to take on Kejriwal from the New Delhi constituency. In the last few days, BJP leaders sought to highlight AAP’s alleged role in instigating the Shaheen Bagh agitation. Finally, the electorate of Delhi registered their vote on February 8.

As per the Election Commission of India, the total voter turnout was 62.59%- nearly 5% lower than the corresponding figures in the 2015 election. The trends at 2.55 pm indicate that AAP has surged ahead in 62 out of the total 70 seats with a vote share of 53.59%. Congress has drawn a blank while BJP is leading in 8 seats. 

(With ANI inputs)

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