Delhi stares at President`s rule as BJP, AAP reluctant to form govt

With the deadlock continuing in Delhi after a hung verdict in the recently concluded assembly elections, Congress on Tuesday indicated that it was mulling giving outside support to Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Admi Party (AAP).

Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava

New Delhi: Two days after elections threw a hung verdict in Delhi, there was no breakthrough in formation of a government with both BJP and Aaam Admi Party (AAP)refusing to budge from their rigid stand of sitting in the opposition and saying that they would prefer fresh polls to end the logjam. In a meeting, senior leaders in BJP told its 31 newly-elected MLAs to get ready for election in next few months while AAP`s Arvind Kejriwal announced that his party was ready to seek people`s mandate again. After he was formally elected leader of the legislature party, BJP`s Chief Ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan said the party did not have the numbers and that it was ready to face elections. "It is a sad situation for us and residents of Delhi, but due to present technicalities, government cannot be formed with a fractured mandate. We don`t have enough numbers to form a stable government and we are ready to fight the election once again, if such a situation arises," Vardhan told reporters after the meeting. "We have emerged as the single largest party in assembly polls, but lack a few seats (for majority). We are neither eager nor even trying to form government by any immoral means. Whether we form the government or not we will continue to serve people. I today promise that residents of Delhi will not regret electing us as their representatives," Vardhan said. Delhi BJP President Vijay Goel also reiterated the party`s line. "As we have not got majority, we have decided not to form government by any horse trading and any illegal means. In every election, hundreds of crores of rupees are spent. We would have been happy, had any party formed the government," Goel said. Expressing confidence that BJP will be able to form government after a re-election, Goel said the party was ready to sit in the opposition and also ready to face re-election. Kejriwal, after a meeting with top AAP leaders, also announced that the party was ready for fresh election and said as the single largest party, BJP should form the government and take support from Congress. "We are ready for it (re-election). At present, we will neither take nor extend support to either BJP or Congress to form the government. But unlike this election, next election would be contested between BJP and AAP, as Congress has lost badly," he said. "BJP has been given the mandate. It is the single largest party. So it should try and form the government taking support of Congress," he said. With the deadlock continuing in Delhi after a hung verdict in the recently concluded assembly elections, Congress today indicated that it was mulling giving outside support to Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Admi Party (AAP). "A number of senior leaders of Delhi are of the opinion that we should give unconditional support to AAP to form a government. They believe that we should extend outside support to it. But, we are talking to MLAs from the state. Their opinion is very important. Once we take their opinion, we will inform the party high command about it," AICC general secretary in-charge for Delhi, Shakeel Ahmed told reporters. Ahmed`s remarks came hours after Kejriwal ruled out support to BJP and termed as "personal opinion" the remarks of party leader Prashant Bhushan, who told a TV channel last night that AAP may consider supporting BJP if the party gives AAP in writing that it will pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. Meanwhile the Election Commission today notified results of the Assembly polls in Delhi, paving the way for start of the formal process of government formation by the Lt Governor. BJP, along with its ally Akali Dal`s one seat, has support of 32 MLAs in the 70-member House. AAP won 28 seats followed by Congress with eight. JD-U has won one seat while the Mundka seat has gone to an Independent.