Bharatiya Janata Party supporters erupted in celebration outside its Delhi headquarters as the latest counting trends showed the saffron party returning to power in the national capital after more than 26 years with a decisive mandate.
Supporters danced to the beats of 'dhol' and waved party flags, creating a festive atmosphere.
Holding up cutouts of a lotus, the BJP's election symbol, they also smeared each other with saffron-coloured powder.
Among the hundreds of supporters celebrating outside the BJP office was a man dressed as Aamir Khan's eponymous character from the film PK.
Holding a large 'laddoo' with a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he spoke into a radio, like Khan's character in PK, and said, "'Jhadoo nahi raha humare beech mein, kamal khil gaya (The broom is gone and the lotus has bloomed)'."
"I voted for the BJP this time. Now, this 'gola (Earth)' will develop," he added.
Samsung Ram, who travelled from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to show his support for the party, said, "I came here for the BJP and I stand here in the name of Narendra Modi."
The BJP is poised to form a government in Delhi for the first time since 1998, with the latest Election Commission trends showing the saffron party ahead in 48 of the 70 assembly seats and AAP in 22.
Despite the trends showing the BJP in the driving seat, AAP supporters continued to hold onto hope. Supporters gathered outside the party headquarters, waving AAP's blue-yellow flags and raising slogans while keeping an eye on the latest trends in the hope of a turnaround.
In stark contrast, the Congress office stood deserted as the trends showed the grand old party drawing a blank in Delhi for the third consecutive assembly polls.
With the trends showing a significant lead for the BJP, its Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva reaffirmed the party's confidence in forming a government in the national capital.
He said the next Delhi chief minister would be from the BJP and added that the central leadership would decide who it would be.
"The results so far are in line with our expectations but we will wait for the final outcome," he told reporters after offering prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.
The BJP's Kalkaji candidate Ramesh Bidhuri, who was leading AAP's Atishi, echoed Sachdeva's optimism.
"The people will give the BJP a decisive mandate. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Delhi will progress alongside the rest of the country. I can confidently say that AAP will be eliminated from the national capital," he said.
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