Request Congress Workers To Join AAP: Arvind Kejriwal On Gujarat Bypoll Win

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday hailed the party's performance in the Gujarat and Punjab bypolls, calling them a "semi-final to 2027" and a clear sign that voters would reject both the BJP and the Congress.

Punjab's ruling AAP retained the Ludhiana West assembly seat with its candidate Sanjeev Arora registering a victory in a fierce electoral fight against his nearest rival and Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu by a margin of 10,637 votes.

The bypoll results in the Visavadar seat in Gujarat saw AAP's Gopal Italia winning while the BJP's Rajendra Chavda bagged the Kadi seat.

At a press conference following the results, Mr Kejriwal said, "We have won with almost double the margin by which we won in 2022. This shows that we are doing good work in Punjab. Some people are saying this is a semi-final to 2027 - there will be a storm of AAP in 2027." Both Gujarat and Punjab will face assembly elections in 2027.

Mr Italia, the former Gujarat president of the AAP, defeated his nearest rival, BJP candidate Kirit Patel, in the Visavadar seat of Junagadh district by a margin of 17,554 votes. While Mr Italia received 75,942 votes, Patel got 58,388 votes after the end of 21 rounds of counting, according to the data shared by the Election Commission.

Mr Kejriwal said the people of Punjab had endorsed AAP's governance with overwhelming support. "By giving us a huge margin win, people of Punjab have given their stamp of approval on AAP's work in the state," he said.

He also emphasised the significance of AAP's win in Gujarat, traditionally a BJP bastion. "It is often said that the ruling party wins in bypolls. But our win in Gujarat shows that people are fed up with the 30 years of BJP rule. They now see AAP as a credible alternative," Kejriwal said.

Criticising the Congress, Mr Kejriwal alleged that the party was working hand-in-glove with the BJP. "These bypolls showed how Congress leadership helped BJP just to defeat AAP. Congress has become the kathputli (puppet) of BJP. I request Congress workers to realise this and join AAP," he said.

Pointing to AAP's political trajectory in Gujarat, Mr Kejriwal recalled, "In February 2022, we won Visavadar but the MLA later joined BJP. Today, we've won Visavadar and Ludhiana West with nearly double the margins. It's a huge indication that people are happy with our work." 

Mr Kejriwal congratulated Gopal Italia and Sanjeev Arora, saying the twin victories signal that the fight in Gujarat is now directly between AAP and the BJP as the Congress "enjoys a cosy relationship with the ruling party".

Celebrations broke out at AAP headquarters in Delhi where party workers distributed 'laddoos' and raised slogans, calling the results a glimpse of the political shift expected in the run-up to the 2027 elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)