AAP office deserted, party desists from early celebrations

A day after exit polls predicted a win for his party, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Sunday watched a movie in Ghaziabad along with some of his party colleagues.

The office that was buzzing with activity for the past two months, wore a deserted look on Sunday.

If the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) believes the exit polls that are giving it an absolute majority, the leaders and party workers did not show it. There was no buzz, no activity, not even party members basking in the warm February sun in the party office on Sunday afternoon.

A couple of people, who had figured out that the 173, North Avenue, was the party’s office for the past several days looked in but found the place vacant.

“A few journalists have been trickling in. Kejriwal, however, was not here. The place is silent after a long time,” said Ravi, an auto driver who decided to see what the mood in the party office was like. Whenever he got the time, the ardent Kejriwal fan would stop by in the hope of getting the leader’s glimpse. He managed to see him just once.

According to party insiders, the senior leadership has strictly warned the rank and file against any premature celebrations.

“While the exit polls and the party’s ground reports indicate a comfortable majority for the party, it is the party’s belief that members need to wait for the final results before they go into celebratory mode,” a party leader said.

The senior leaders of the party, however, visited Kejriwal at his home in Kaushambi in the afternoon to mull over the various possibilities that could emerge after counting ends on Tuesday.

“The ground reports suggest that the exit polls are not off the mark. We would, however, like to wait for the final results,” the leader said.

The party’s internal survey, released last week, said that party is most likely to win 51 seats. A bad case scenario would mean 44 seats while the best case scenario will see the party getting 57 seats, the survey stated.

On Saturday, senior party leader Yogendra Yadav told a TV channel that BJP’s blunder were also a reason for the position that AAP finds itself in. He said he would like to send “bouquets to thank the BJP” adding that the extensive door-to-door campaigning, as well as the work done by the BJP’s local leadership, helped AAP regain the popularity it had lost after the Lok Sabha elections.

He also assured people that Kejriwal will not quit this time around. “There will be no more running away,” he said. “Arvind Kejriwal has bought a bottle of Fevicol now.