Delhi heads for polls Parties tell L-G Jung they don't want to form government

The BJP informed Jung that it was not willing to form a minority government. Sources in the party said that preparations were underway for fresh Assembly elections.

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Delhi heads for polls Parties tell L-G Jung they don't want to form government

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who was accompanied by senior leader Manish Sisodia, reiterated their demand of fresh elections in Delhi.

Assembly election in Delhi seems inevitable. On Monday, political parties expressed their inability to form the government in the Capital during their separate meetings with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. All three parties - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - clearly told Jung that they will not form government in Delhi. Jung will now send a report on the matter to President Pranab Mukherjee.

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On Monday morning, Jung met Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay to discuss the issue of government formation in the Capital. The BJP informed Jung that it was not willing to form a minority government. Sources in the party said that preparations were underway for fresh Assembly elections.

"We have conveyed our stance to the L-G and now whatever needs to be decided, will be done by him," Upadhyay said. He also said that the party's stand on government formation had been very clear and the BJP would not indulge in horsetrading to form the government.

L-G Najeeb Jung met Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay to discuss the issue of government formation in the Capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah reportedly favour elections and sources said the party's senior leadership decided during a CEC meeting on Sunday that the party should seek a proper mandate. Sources said even the Sangh Parivar feels polls will be a better option.

The BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance collectively had 32 seats in the Delhi Assembly. But after three BJP MLAs were elected to Parliament, the alliance was left with 29 MLAs in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. The AAP had won in 28 seats, while the Congress in eight seats.

On their part, AAP leaders, too, favoured fresh elections in Delhi. At the 15-minute meeting with L-G Jung, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who was accompanied by senior leader Manish Sisodia, reiterated their demand of fresh elections in Delhi. "Our stand on government formation has been the same for the last eight months which is that we want re-elections.

We have told the LG that we would like elections to be held in the Capital along with the elections in other places," Sisodia said after the meeting. Sisodia said AAP is ready for elections and the party is certain of victory.

He said the party will win around 35 seats. "We are ready and we are confident about our win. People want a government which can get rid of corruption, high price of electricity and power," he added.

Congress leader Haroon Yusuf also met the L-G on Monday afternoon to discuss government formation.

Yusuf later said the party was in favour of fresh polls.

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However, as Delhi heads for fresh Assembly polls, the November 25 by-elections to the three Assembly constituencies could be scrapped. According to sources, the L-G could recommend dissolution of the Delhi Assembly in case no government was formed, and thus avoid the bypolls.

After the meetings with the leaders of political parties, a statement was issued by the L-G's office. "L-G Najeeb Jung held consultations with the leaders of the political parties at the Raj Niwas to explore the possibility of government formation in the National Capital Territory of Delhi with BJP's Satish Upadhyay and Jagdish Mukhi, Congress's Haroon Yusuf, and Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. In the meeting with the L-G, all the parties expressed their inability to form the government. The L-G would be sending his report to the President," the statement said.