AAP tsunami routs BJP, Congress in Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 10: In one of the most stunning comebacks in Indian political history, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday scored a landslide win in Delhi, delivering to the BJP its first electoral defeat since its historic Lok Sabha triumph and reducing the Congress, that had ruled the capital for 15 years till 2013, to a virtual nonentity. As thousands of AAP activists broke into celebrations all over the capital, election officials counting the votes polled Saturday said the party ended up with a staggering 67 of the 70 assembly seats -- the highest victory margin for any party in Delhi so far. An emotional Kejriwal, 46, who founded the AAP only in 2012, became teary eyed as his colleagues repeatedly hugged him and lifted him in the air at his house at Kaushambi in Ghazibad bordering Delhi. Outside, activists kept a steady chant of "Paanch Saal, Kejriwal!" Kejriwal later reached the AAP office in central Delhi where he told thousands of boisterous supporters waving party flags and brooms -- the AAP election symbol -- that the AAP sweep was "a victory for truth and honesty". The Congress suffered an unprecedented washout, with all its 70 candidates losing. Its chief ministerial aspirant, Ajay Maken, resigned as general secretary. The break-up of voting percentage in the Delhi assembly election: AAP 54.3 (67 seats) BJP 32.2 (3) Congress 9.7 (0) BSP 1.3 (0) INLD 0.6 (0) IND 0.5 (0) SAD 0.5 (0) NOTA 0.4