Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: In a bid to break the impasse on government-formation, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung yesterday spoke to BJP`s chief ministerial candidate Dr Harsh Vardhan and invited him to discuss the issue with him on Thursday.
The BJP, which won 31 seats in Delhi, emerged as the largest single party in the assembly polls, but is five MLAs short of a majority in the 70-seat Delhi Assembly. BJP`s ally Akali Dal has one MLA. Dr Vardhan is likely to point out that he does not have the numbers.
Arvind Kejriwal`s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 28 seats in the assembly followed by the Congress` eight.
Harsh Vardhan said that he conveyed to the Lieutenant Governor that he was going to Raipur today to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Raman Singh as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and will be able to meet him only after his return to Delhi in the evening.
"The LG called me and asked me to meet him tomorrow (on Thursday) to discuss (govt formation)", Dr Vardhan said.
Yesterday, both the BJP and the AAP stuck to their ground of not forming a government and preferring fresh elections instead.
The BJP`s chief ministerial candidate reiterated his party`s stand on the issue, saying it does not have the required numbers to form the government while Mr Kejriwal declared his party would prefer to face fresh polls.
The Lieutenant Governor, on the other hand, continued consultations with experts to explore the next course of action.
Sources said that in the wake of the publicly stated position of both the BJP and the AAP, the Lieutenant Governor was considering "all options".
It is learnt that Lieutenant Governor was also considering sending a report to the Union Home Ministry before inviting any party to form the government.
In a meeting on Tuesday, senior leaders in BJP told its 31 newly-elected MLAs to get ready for elections in the next few months.
"We don`t have the numbers to form a stable government. So, we are firm in our decision," Dr Vardhan had said.
The Election Commission had on Tuesday notified results of the assembly polls in Delhi, paving the way for the start of the formal process of government formation by the Lieutenant Governor.
If President`s Rule is imposed, then the Lieutenant Governor will run the government with the help of a group of advisors.
With PTI inputs
