Lights, camera, celebration: AAP glows after victory in MCD polls

The Aam Aadmi Party’s headquarter broke into celebrations on Wednesday with supporters carrying party flags distributing sweets and dancing to the beat of drums after AAP won the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections.

The mood at the AAP’s office on Rouse Avenue was celebratory since morning with songs blaring through loudspeakers and the entire premises decked up with colourful balloons.

Supporters and leaders, including Gopal Rai, Atishi and Durgesh Pathak, started gathering at the office as counting progressed and numbers swung in favour of the AAP.

Hoardings reading ‘acche honge 5 saal, MCD mein bhi Kejriwal’ lined the street outside as supporters revelled to the AAP’s official poll song ‘MCD mein Arvind Kejriwal’.

An elated AAP after winning the MCD polls on Thursday vowed to improve civic amenities in the national capital while the BJP thanked voters for “recognising” its work as it took solace in securing over a hundred seats despite exit poll predicting its rout.

The BJP, which exit polls had predicted would suffer a massive defeat, put up a spirited fight to win 104 wards.

In what turned out to be a closer-than-expected contest, the AAP ended the BJP’s 15-year stint in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) — trifurcated in 2012 into north, south and east corporations and unified this year — by winning 134 seats. The majority mark in the 250-ward civic body is 126.

The Congress won just nine seats while three wards went to Independent candidates.

As counting began at 8 am, party workers had their eyes glued to LED screens throwing the latest trends. They also kept a tab on social media and some of them were seen constantly tweeting as the final touches were being given to the office for celebrating the party’s first victory in a municipal poll here.

In the early trends, the BJP was leading in 66 seats and the AAP in 30 around 9 am. The Congress was ahead on just three seats.

The margin between the AAP and the BJP narrowed as the counting progressed, and around 9.05 am the BJP was leading in 107 seats and the AAP in 95. Around 10.30 am, the AAP (123) went ahead of the BJP (108). The Congress was marching ahead in 12 seats.

A look at the mood of outside AAP office throughout the day: