The Delhi BJP is in the final stages of winning over six out of eight Congress MLAs into its fold. If the deal is finalised, the BJP will be in a position to form a government in Delhi. Delhi is currently under president's rule, following the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal, leader of AAP, after a two-month tumultuous tenure.
The BJP is short of four seats. With six Congress MLAs and two Independents in their pocket, the party can comfortably stake claim to form the government. The final decision will be taken only after the Parliament session, according to BJP sources.
"We will consider it (formation of government) provided Lt Governor Najeeb Jung calls us," Satish Upadhyay, state BJP chief, said after meeting party MLAs. The BJP has been trying to win over or buy out Congress and AAP MLAs over the last month. Finally their efforts seem to have borne fruit.
But chief spokesperson of Delhi Congress Mukesh Sharma rubbished the BJP claim saying, "all our MLAs are united and will not leave the party".
A BJP team, headed by state BJP chief Satish Upadhyay, is slated to meet Union minister Nitin Gadhkari, who is in charge of Delhi affairs. After the meeting, the party is likely to move towards the last stage of signing up the Congress defectors. Two cabinet posts and chairmanship of two government committees have been offered to the defectors. Two MLAs who are staying back are AK Lovely, who is also Delhi Congress president, and Haroon Yusuf — both former ministers in the Sheila Dikshit cabinet
The main reason being cited by the Congress MLAs is that they do not want to contest another election so soon; and in any case they stand little chance of winning an election in Delhi. The BJP won all the seven parliamentary seats in the capital in the general elections. A president's rule is for six months but can be extended by six more months every time.
"For the BJP, getting Congress on board will be more simpler than getting AAP MLAs," said a senior BJP leader.
The AAP has 28 seats in the Delhi assembly compared to BJP's 32. It emerged as a strong power base in Delhi after the last December elections. So the Congress backed an AAP government to prevent a re-election. But Arvind Kejriwal, as chief minister, continued his agitational style of politics and resigned soon after. Now he says he regrets the decision to resign.
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