"AAP is going to be the national and natural replacement of the Congress," Raghav Chadha said
As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stacked up a spectacular victory in Punjab, wiping out the Congress and taking its second state after Delhi, the party's Raghav Chadha said AAP has "now become a national party" and will soon replace the Congress as the country's biggest opposition.
"I see AAP becoming a national force. AAP is going to be the national and natural replacement of the Congress," Raghav Chadha told NDTV.
"It is a tremendous day for AAP as a party, because today we have become a national party. We are no longer a regional party. May the almighty bless us and Arvind Kejriwal. May he lead the nation one day," he said.
He pointed out that the BJP took "much more time" to win two states than AAP, which was founded in 2012.
In leads two hours into the counting of votes, AAP crossed the half-way mark, leaving the ruling Congress far behind.
Heavyweights like the Congress's Charanjit Singh Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Akali Dal's Parkash Singh Badal were trailing against AAP candidates in the wave of support for Arvind Kejriwal's party.
"The people of Punjab have seen the Kejriwal model of governance and they want to try it out. For five decades, those who have kept the people of Punjab without the amenities they deserve and those who thought they would rule forever have now been thrown out. The people decided to teach them a lesson," said Mr Chadha, who famously sang AAP's campaign song "Ik Mauka Kejriwal Nu (give Kejriwal a chance)".
Mr Chadha said AAP will work on a blueprint to revive Punjab's economy and "restore its glory".
"We know what this victory means to us. We understand the value of this," he said, referring to AAP missing a win in Punjab in 2017 despite predictions.