New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday congratulated the newly elected legislators in the Gujarat and Punjab bypolls and thanked the people of the two states for giving a thumping mandate to party nominees.

AAP candidates Gopal Italia won the Visavadar seat (Gujarat) and Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West (Punjab), by about 17,000 votes and 10,000 votes respectively, in the recently concluded bypolls, spread over five seats in four states.

Arvind Kejriwal met the newly elected MLAs and also the party units of both states in the national capital and praised their efforts in ensuring AAP’s victory in both states.

Addressing the party workers, the AAP supremo said the bypoll results are a testament to people’s unwavering faith in the party’s ideology and clean politics and also described it as a reflection of the pervasive public mood.

“People want public representatives with clean records. Both of our MLAs boast of the highest standards of public service, and this is what earned them strong public backing in the elections,” he said.

Referring to the age-old belief ‘good people shouldn’t enter politics’, he said that the AAP broke this myth and ushered in a new type of political discourse in the country.

“In Punjab, our government has been working assiduously for the public, and the results are evident in bypolls. The overwhelming support for the party in the Ludhiana bypoll shows that AAP could better its tally than in previous elections and will cross the hundred mark in the next elections.

The AAP supremo vowed strong action against drug abuse in Punjab and also reiterated the Bhagwant Mann government’s resolve to clamp down on the drug mafia and networks in the state.

He further said that people of Gujarat are fed up with the existing government in the state and are desperate for change.

“It’s the AAP which can provide an alternative in the state. The bypoll results are a clear indication that AAP is on its way to form the next government in the state,” he stated.

Kejriwal also said that the recent by-election results serve as a semi-final to the upcoming elections in both states — Gujarat and Punjab, slated for 2027 and added that the party will fetch more than 100 seats in both states.

–IANS

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