Congress workers celebrate, AAP office wears deserted look

New Delhi: A large number of people carrying party flags flocked the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters on Tuesday to celebrate the party’s impressive gains in many states, in stark contrast to the deserted office of its Lok Sabha elections ally Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Sounds of ‘dhol and nagada’ filled the air outside the Congress office and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s residence as people celebrated the opposition INDIA bloc’s impressive gains that took its tally to over 200 seats.

Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said India’s poorest and backward people have stood up to save the Constitution. “The main thing this election has said, the country has said is that we don’t want Narendra Modi, Amit Shah to be running this country,” he said. He said the INDIA bloc will meet and decide on Wednesday whether to approach former partners such as the JD(U) and the TDP to attempt government formation at the Centre.

The BJP lost heavily in its strongholds of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, and also fared badly than the last time in Maharashtra. However, the BJP-led NDA is poised to form a government with about 290 seats. A large group of women were seen raising slogans like “Desh ka beta kaisa ho, Rahul Gandhi jaisa ho”.

The Aam Aadmi Party office at Rouse Avenue bore a deserted look with a monitor showing that the party failed to gain even a single seat out of seven constituencies of Delhi. Later in the day, AAP said despite adverse circumstances, their candidates gave a tough fight to the BJP. It asserted that the people have voted against the saffron party’s politics of “hatred and dictatorship”.

AAP Delhi state convener Gopal Rai said, “We contested the polls in adverse circumstances. In Delhi, we gave a strong fight to BJP and the margins are narrower this time (as compared to 2019).” Celebrations were also witnessed at BJP headquarters after its clean sweep in Delhi.