As soon as the trends of five Indian state assembly elections were out on Thursday, massive celebrations broke out at the party offices of the federally governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur states started at 8 a.m. (IST). However, the trends of the winning and trailing parties showed that the BJP was comfortably winning in four of the five states, while the AAP swept the polls in Punjab.
Meanwhile, the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) offices in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow were silent.
Celebrations at BJP Headquarters in Delhi
BJP supporters were ecstatic as trends showed their party was leading from the early morning, not just in the crucial Uttar Pradesh, but also in three other states - Manipur, Goa, and Uttarakhand.
Bharatiya Janata Party Celebrating Outside BJP Office, New Delhi
© Rahul Trivedi
They converged in huge numbers at the party offices, and started playing with dry Holi colours, chanting “Jai Shri Ram” ("Hail Lord Rama"), blowing conch shells, and dancing to drum beats.
Bharatiya Janata Party Celebrating Outside BJP Office, New Delhi
© Rahul Trivedi
Many female BJP workers were also seen at the party headquarters celebrating the historic victory in Uttar Pradesh, as this is the first time in 37 years that an incumbent party will return to power for a five-year-term.
Hailing the victory in Uttar Pradesh, Ayushi Mishra, a BJP worker, told Sputnik: “The victory shows that the people trust the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief Yogi Adityanath. The opposition tried to polarise the elections in the name of caste, but people voted for development”.
AAP Workers Celebrate at Party's Delhi Office
The AAP’s Delhi office had been decorated since morning with white and blue balloons, as the party was confident of showing a good performance in the state of Punjab. LED screens were installed inside as well as outside the locality.
Hundreds of AAP workers started early celebrations soon after the trends showed that the party was winning comfortably in Punjab.
They danced to drumbeats and music while the jingle “Ik Chance Dedo Mann ko bhi” ("Give a Chance to Bhagwant Mann" - the projected candidate for state chief of Punjab).
Aam Aadmi Party Celebrating Outside Party Office In New Delhi
© Deexa Khanduri
Meanwhile, some toddlers were also seen at the party office wearing yellow turbans like Bhagwant Mann, as well as mufflers, fake moustaches, and glasses to look like Delhi state chief Arvind Kejriwal.
Aam Aadmi Party Celebrating Outside Party Office In New Delhi
© Deexa Khanduri
Photos of the kids also went viral on social media.
Aam Aadmi Party Celebrating Outside Party Office In New Delhi
© Deexa Khanduri
Elated by the results, one party volunteer, Dr Surbhi Sinha, told Sputnik: “We have worked very hard in Punjab. Now, it’s time to celebrate, as the efforts have paid off".
"The people of Punjab have shown confidence in the Arvind Kejriwal model of governance and I am confident that Punjab will witness the same development as in Delhi”, she added.
Aam Aadmi Party Celebrating Outside Party Office In New Delhi
© Deexa Khanduri
Silence Prevails at Congress and Samajwadi Party Offices
The early trends and results, however, showed a poor display by the country' main opposition party Congress - it could not win any of the five states.
The Samajwadi Party (SP), which was trying to outdo the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, also failed to win. Workers of both Congress and the SP were left crestfallen after the results.
Some Congress workers even staged a protest outside their offices, claiming that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had been tampered with. They also raised anti-BJP slogans.