AAP to be 'natural, national' replacement of Congress, says Raghav Chadha

As exit polls predict victory of AAP in Punjab, party's leader Raghav Chadha on Thursday said AAP has emerged major national force and will be a natural and national replacement of Congress

With exit polls predicting a victory of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, party's state co-in charge Raghav Chadha on Thursday said AAP has emerged major national force and will be a "natural and national" replacement of Congress.

Speaking to ANI ahead of counting of votes in five states on Thursday, he said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal "is the hope of crores of people" and if people give an opportunity, he will be seen in a "bigger role of Prime Minister" after the next Lok Sabha elections.

"Arvind Kejriwal is the hope of crores of people. If God is willing and people give an opportunity, he will definitely be seen in a bigger role - that of the Prime Minister - soon. AAP will emerge as a major national political force," Chadha told ANI.He was replying to a query concerning the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024.Chadha said AAP is not even 10 years old and will have governments in Punjab and Delhi.

"Punjab polls show that AAP has emerged as a national political force. It took BJP ten years to form its first government in a state. It is not even ten years since AAP's inception and we are forming government in two states. AAP will be Congress' national and natural replacement," he added.

AAP is in power in Delhi and Congress has been reduced to a distant third position in the national capital in the last few assembly polls. AAP is also seeking to expand in various states including Goa and Uttarakhand. Exit polls on Monday predicted a clear victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab with the scale of the party's victory varying across various surveys.Several surveys predicted Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which is in power in Delhi, getting a landslide victory.The surveys also predicted that the ruling Congress will finish a distant second in the state followed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which had allied with Bahujan Samaj Party. The BJP and its allies are not predicted to do well, according to the surveys.If the results come as per the prediction of exit polls, it will be the first time that AAP will come to power in Punjab.Polling was held in the state on February 20 and the results will be declared on March 10.