Nine years after AAP's first Delhi win, Kejriwal hails 'national party'

The Aam Aadmi Party marked its Assembly election debut in Gujarat with a bang, winning five seats and nearly 13 per cent of the votes in the Bharatiya Janata Party's stronghold and prompting Arvind Kejriwal to celebrate becoming a national party. The AAP's fine performance in Gujarat comes a day after it defeated the BJP in the Delhi civic body election and adds to its momentum ahead of key state polls in 2023 and the Lok Sabha poll in 2024.

From December 8 to December 8

What is interesting about today's win is that nine years ago the AAP fought its first election - the 2013 Delhi Assembly poll in which the then fledgling outfit took on the then mighty Congress unit led by the late former chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

When results were declared on December 8, 2013, the AAP had bagged 28 of 70 seats.

The BJP won 31 and the Congress was left with just eight, with three going to others.

A winning electoral debut for the AAP quickly turned into an opportunity to form the government at the national capital after Dikshit offered 'unconditional support'.

The election was all the more memorable because of Kejriwal's giant-killing feat; the AAP boss, then an absolute rookie, beat Dikshit in her stronghold. Kejriwal won the New Delhi seat securing over 44,000 votes to her 18,405.

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Fast forward to 2022

This is set to be a key year in the AAP's young history.

It began with victory against the Congress in Punjab, giving the party a chance to form its first government outside Delhi. That was followed with a strong debut in Goa (6.77 per cent vote share) and then victory against the BJP in the Delhi civic polls - ending its 15-year reign.

Its five seats and nearly 15 per cent vote share in Gujarat now means the Aam Aadmi Party is, in fact, a national-level political party and one that could play a key role in elections to come.