Shawdesh Desk:

Arvind Kejriwal, who led the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to a stupendous victory yet again in Assembly poll, will take oath as the Delhi Chief Minister for the third straight time on February 16.

The oath ceremony will be held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, sources have said.

According to the final figures released by the Election Commission, the AAP won in 62 of the 70 seats with a total vote share of 53.57 per cent. The BJP emerged victorious in the remaining eight seats, getting 38.51 per cent of the total votes. The Congress could not even manage a single seat and ended with 4.26 per cent vote share.

The AAP’s stupendous victory comes nearly eight months after it suffered a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls in which the party drew a blank while the BJP won all the seven seats.

The victory also assumes significance as it came in the face of BJP’s no holds barred attack against protesters opposing the Citizenship (Amendement) Act as “supporters of Pakistan” during the bitterly-fought campaign. “Dilliwalon, ghazab kar diya aapne (Delhiites, you have done the impossible). I love you,” Kejriwal, flanked by his wife, daughter and senior party leaders, said in a brief thank you address at the party’s headquarters here.

“It is the beginning of new kind of politics today. This is very auspicious message for the country and the politics of work can only take our country to the 21st century,” he added.

“It is a victory for Bharat Mata (mother India),” he said as a large number of supporters cheered him.

Later, he visited the famous Hanuman temple near Connaught Place along with his family and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

Modi congratulated Kejriwal for his party’s win and wished him “the very best” in fulfilling the aspirations of the people. “Congratulations to AAP and shri Arvind Kejriwal ji for the victory in the Delhi assembly elections. Wishing them the very best in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Delhi,” the prime minister tweeted.

Opposition leaders also hailed AAP’s landslide win as a defeat of the politics of polarisation and hate and a victory of inclusive politics, saying “winds of change” are blowing in the country.