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Updated: Dec 10, 2013 12:33 IST

Aam Aadmi party chief Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi assembly election results were historic as people who came out to vote were motivated by a need for departure from corrupt ways of Congress and BJP.

He warned the two parties they would perish if they continued with corrupt politics.

In Delhi’s most keenly watched contest, the AAP founder pulled off a huge win in the New Delhi constituency, beating three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit by 22,000 votes.

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“Politics in India is increasingly becoming a slave of religion-caste equations and corruption. People weren't left with a choice but to bring in clean politics. They fought the battle themselves. The aam aadmi (common man) took it upon himself to fight with honesty,” Kejriwal told reporters amid a roar by his supporters at the party headquarters.

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The Congress on Sunday was in for a humiliating defeat in Delhi, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party. But it was debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that put up a spectacular show in the battle for the 70-member assembly that presides over the fortunes of the capital.

Conceding defeat, Dikshit submitted her resignation to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, who dissolved the legislative assembly and forwarded her resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee.

"I would like to thank everyone for their support. We will analyse what went wrong later," a sombre-looking Dikshit told reporters outside her house while declining to take questions.

Kejriwal said candidates from his party, who were new to politics and not very popular, beat political bigwigs in Delhi to prove that the people were drawn to the AAP because it comprise of commoners. “Our anti-corruption agenda

was a first in Delhi politics

. All the donations we got were completely transparent. The people who were fed up from corruption led our fight.”

Result trends at 6.20pm showed BJP was leading in 33 constituencies, the AAP was ahead in 27 seats and the Congress in 8. The BJP admitted that the AAP's stunning performance in Delhi elections was “surprising” but maintained that it would form a government.

Kejriwal congratulated BJP leader Harsh Vardhan for the party’s dominance and said that it wasn’t personal rivalry but ideology-based differences that drove them to fight him and Delhi CM Dikshit.

While there was an

atmosphere of gloom

at Dikshit's 3, Moti Lal Nehru residence, it was time for celebrations at BJP chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan's residence.

Supporters burst firecrackers and distributed sweets outside Vardhan's Krishna Nagar residence in east Delhi.

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The activists of AAP, a product of the anti-corruption campaign of Anna Hazare, also celebrated noisily outside many counting centres and its party office in Connaught Place.

The party activists, very visible in their white side caps, waved flags, raised slogans across the national capital celebrating the unexpected success.

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Kejriwal thanked AAP volunteers for coming from all parts of the country to work for the party and contributing in its impressive performance. "People skipped work and personal errands to come root for us. If we hurt anyone in anyway, we apologise to them," a visibly exhausted and content Kejriwal told reporters.



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