Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, praised the people for assisting the AAP in "breaching the BJP's fortress" in Gujarat and predicted that the party will win the state the next time around, news agency PTI reported.


In a video message, Kejriwal stated that while the AAP did not win many seats in Gujarat, the votes it received helped it achieve national party status.






According to the State Election Commission, the AAP won five seats and received 12.92 percent of the vote in the Gujarat assembly elections.


"I am thankful to the people of Gujarat for helping us attain the status of national party. Very few parties enjoy the status and now we are one of them. Ours is only a 10-year-old party," the Delhi chief minister said.


The AAP was already a state party in Delhi, Punjab, and Goa, and was only one state away from becoming a national party. The party will get national recognition after opening an account in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.


To be recognised as a national party, a political organisation must be recognised in at least four states. To be recognised as a state party, it must win at least two seats and 6% of the vote in the assembly election.


"Your AAP is a national party now. Gujarat's people have made it a national party. On the basis of votes polled in Gujarat, legally AAP is now a national party," Kejriwal added.


In a bid to break through the BJP's Gujarat stronghold, the AAP fielded candidates on all 182 assembly seats and ran a high-decibel campaign in the run-up to the elections.


The party and its national convenor Kejriwal positioned themselves as the sole challengers to the BJP and Prime Minister Modi, respectively.


Gujarat is regarded as a fortress for the BJP, and the people of the state have assisted the AAP in making inroads into it, he claims.


"Gujarat is considered (to be a) BJP stronghold. We have polled around 13 per cent votes. There are so many people who have trusted us, voted for us for the first time. This time, we breached the fortress and next time, with your blessings, we will win it," he said.


Kejriwal further stated that his party's leaders did not engage in mudslinging or nasty politics, but instead spoke about positive things and the job they performed in Delhi and Punjab.


"We only spoke about the work done by us in Punjab and Delhi and how, if we get an opportunity in Gujarat, we will work for the people. This differentiates us from other parties.


"In the last 75 years, politics has revolved around caste, mudslinging and religion. But we spoke about issues that affect the common man," he said.


Kejriwal described the achievement as "amazing," and said many were surprised that the party had earned national party status in such a short period of time.


"People are amazed by this achievement. I have learnt a lot from you and received a lot of love and respect. I am indebted to you," he said in the message.


Kejriwal reminded party activists that they were "imaandar" and honest people, and requested them to relax for a few days before returning to serve the people of Gujarat.


AAP senior leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said it was the first time in the country that education and health politics had had an impact.


The AAP broke the BJP's 15-year reign in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which was divided into north, south, and east corporations in 2012 and reunified this year, by capturing 134 seats and limiting the BJP to 104. Kejriwal had been campaigning for the party in Gujarat and Delhi.


Sanjay Singh, an AAP Rajya Sabha MP, mirrored Kejriwal's stance.


"Gujarat is called the fortress of PM Modi and (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah. CM Arvind Kejriwal has breached their fortress today," he said.


"Ten years ago AAP was formed, till now the people of Delhi formed our government thrice in Delhi and now we have our government in Punjab also," he added.


Gopal Rai, the AAP's Delhi unit convenor, said it would no longer have to struggle for the party symbol after attaining the status of a national party.


"Till now, we had to struggle for our symbol but after getting the status of a national party, the 'jhaadu' (broom) symbol will be reserved for the AAP across the whole country.


"With people of Gujarat ensuring locking-in of the 'jhaadu' symbol for the Aam Aadmi Party, the time has come to wield the broom throughout the nation," he said.


According to official estimates, the AAP ran in the Gujarat assembly elections in 2014 and 2017, with most of its candidates receiving less votes than the None Of The Above (NOTA) option.


It avoided the state for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.


The BJP won 150 seats and led in another six in Gujarat's 182-member legislature, marking a record triumph for the party. The Congress placed second with 17 seats, while the AAP received five. Three seats were won by independent candidates, and one by the Samajwadi Party.


(With PTI Inputs)