The Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday thanked the people of Gujarat for starting “a new age of politics” in the state. In the Gujarat local body polls, the AAP – contesting in the state for the first time – bagged 27 seats in Surat, pushing the Congress to the third position, reported NDTV.

“I want to thank all the people of Gujarat, especially those from Surat,” Kejriwal said in a video message. “The people of Surat have defeated a 125-year-old party, the Congress, to give the AAP the responsibility of the main opposition. I would like to assure you that each of our winning candidates will handle the responsibility with honesty.”

The AAP chief said that Gujarat has started a new age of politics – of honesty, good schools and hospitals and inexpensive electricity with 24-hour supply. “We will partner with the people in improving Gujarat,” he said, adding that he will visit the state on Friday to personally thank the people.

The local body elections were held in six municipal corporations – Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar – and the results were declared on Tuesday. The BJP won 483 of the 576 total seats. The Congress stood at the second spot, managing to bag only 55 seats. The AAP won 27, all from Surat. The Congress could not win any seats in Surat, while BJP won the municipality. In 2015, the BJP won 391 of these seats and the Congress ended up with 174.

The Patidar Anamat Aarakshan Samiti, a body of the Patel community, had boycotted the Congress in Surat this time. The AAP took advantage of the situation and fielded candidates belonging to the caste, according to NDTV.