The AAP’s office in New Delhi wore a vibrant look on Tuesday as the office premises was decked up with flowers and balloons, and party workers danced to beats of drums to celebrate the political outfit’s new feat as a national party. Scores of AAP leaders and workers gathered at DDU Marg as the streets were decorated with yellow and blue balloons, party flags and patriotic songs were played. A large number of women workers were also present at the celebrations, while sweets were distributed by others. Senior AAP leader and Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced that party workers at all State and district offices across the country would celebrate the AAP’s achievement of getting a national party status on April 12. He said that the AAP supporters and workers would take out padyatras across the country and appealed to the citizens to join the party by giving a missed call on 9871010101.
“This is the result of the hard work and dedication of each and every party member. We are proud to be recognised as a national party. All our efforts have paid off,” Seema Arya of AAP’s women wing said. Arya, who has been a part of the AAP since 2013, said it is a “matter of pride” that the party, which was formed in November 2012 got the national status in “a short period of 10 years”.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is currently in power in Delhi and Punjab, and has five MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly and two in the Goa Assembly. “Each and every party worker has put in efforts. Many of us have worked for the party day and night. There were days when we did not have time for our families,” said another AAP’s women wing member Dharna Seth. She further said that the tag of national party has boosted the spirit of all the party workers at a time when the AAP is gearing up to contest the Assembly polls in Karnataka next month and in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh later this year. It will also give a boost to the party in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“We are extremely happy and the party workers will be celebrating all day today. The national party tag is a huge achievement for us. We kept working hard without any expectations and today, all those efforts paid off,” party worker Madhu Bhatia said.
