New Delhi : President Pranab Mukher-jee on Wednesday inquired from Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung about the process of government formation in Delhi and how he was proceeding in the matter even as BJP, the single-largest party in the assembly, and the Aam Aadmi Party made it clear that they are not staking claim. Mukherjee made the inquiries even as specula-tion mounted that Delhi will be put under President’s Rule and fresh elections will be announced.
It is now expected that the Lt. Governor will soon start the process of exploring the possibilities of government formation by inviting the BJP as the single largest party to have the first shot at it. It is now three days since the results were declared and now the rest of formalities would have to be gone through.
But even with the Congress dropping hints of offering support to it, the Aam Aadmi Party showed no signs of walking into this trap. On the contrary, its leader Arvind Kejriwal made it clear that the party would prefer to face fresh elections.
Addressing party workers, he said, ‘’We are ready for re-election. At present, we will neither take nor extend support to either the BJP or the Congress to form the government. But unlike this election, next election would be contested between BJP and AAP, as Congress has lost badly.”
However, the BJP, which virtually finds itself in a trap having emerged as the single largest party with 32 seats in a house of 70, lashed out at these ‘games’ between the Congress and the AAP.
Rahul versus AAP’s Vishwas
AAP leader Kumar Vishwas may be pitted against Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha election, the party indicated on Wednesday without referring to them by name.
“We can make our ‘Yuva Hridya Samrat’ contest against Yuvraj,” party leader Manish Sisodia told a public meeting, in an obvious reference to Kumar Vishwas and Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. A poet, Kumar Vishwas is one of the most vocal leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Senior party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the Congress offer to AAP is a mere ploy to deny the BJP the right to rule the Delhi state. “They just want to foil the people’s mandate,” he added.
He also charged that Kejriwal has become a mere contractor appointed by a multinational company and intends to become a speed-breaker to obstruct the movement of BJP, but the people of the country were determined to foil their nefarious designs.
The BJP, along with its ally Akali Dal’s one seat, has 32 MLAs in the 70-member House while AAP has got 28 seats followed by Congress’ eight. JD-U has won one seat while the Mundka seat has gone to an Independent. The Election Commission had on Tuesday notified results of the Assembly polls in Delhi, paving the way for start of the formal process of government formation by the Lt Governor. If President’s Rule is imposed, then the Lt Governor will run the government with the help of a group of advisors.
Anil Sharma
