Triumphant BJP workers gather outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’

In the afternoon, a antheral draped successful a saffron BJP scarf emerged earlier the erstwhile main minister’s residence, a polythene container successful 1 hand, and a sheet successful another. The plate’s contents are unmistakable – the aureate fried samosas and sticky swirls of jalebis. He held them earlier him, an offering laced with derision. “Kejriwal ne jis tareeke se keechad failaya hai, usi wajeh se aaj kamal khila hai (The mode Kejriwal has dispersed muck successful Delhi is the crushed wherefore the lotus has bloomed today),” helium declared to the cameras earlier him.

A mates of hours later, a fewer passing autos slowed, their passengers peering curiously astatine the unfolding spectacle. From 1 of them, a antheral with a azygous limb cautiously disembarked, his walking framework held dependable by aides wrapped successful BJP scarves and flags. As the property turned their cameras toward him, helium abruptly lifted the framework precocious supra his head, his dependable rising successful a fervent chant ‘Jai Shree Ram!’ The assemblage of supporters astir him shouted successful unison.

“This state is simply a Hindu Rashtra, and we are overjoyed that the BJP is coming to powerfulness successful Delhi,” declared Puneet Vohra, his walking framework inactive aloft similar a antheral miraculously healed. His companions, members of Mahadev Auto Sanchalak, an car drivers’ union, nodded successful agreement. One of them said they had been en way to the BJP office for celebrations but had made a pit halt here, drawn by Kejriwal’s location – a battlefield wherever triumph had to beryllium rubbed in.

Amid the revelry, 2 figures stood apart, their beingness stark against the saffron tide. Dressed successful bluish and yellow, their AAP badges catching the dim sunlight of the evening, they watched successful solemn silence. Khurshid Alam, an aged antheral successful a cardigan, broke the hush. “We ne'er imagined Kejriwal could suffer successful Delhi,” helium murmured, his dependable carrying the value of disbelief.

Alam had travel each the mode from Bhatinda successful the past week of January to run for the party. Now, arsenic helium stood extracurricular the besieged residence, his companion Pramod Kumar Sharma’s dependable took connected the crisp borderline of discontent – “I hatred to accidental this, but the enactment mislaid due to the fact that it abandoned its ain workers. They favoured defectors implicit loyalists, and this is the terms we person paid.” His words were dense with foreboding – “Mark my words, if they proceed similar this, Punjab volition beryllium next.”

When asked wherefore they had come, wherefore they stood determination successful the midst of triumph and taunts, Alam’s effect was simple, “You basal by radical successful some their moments of joyousness and despair.”

Sharma, however, was little forgiving. His regard was distant, but his words chopped adjacent – “The enactment did large enactment successful Delhi, yet it lost. Agar raja acha ho lekin uski sena uska saath na de, toh jung woh haarega hi (If a king is noble but his service does not basal with him, helium is bound to suffer the war).”