Jung mum, BJP in huddle over forming govt in Delhi

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Monday refused to comment on the political situation in the capital – in the backdrop of his report to President Pranab Mukherjee to allow him to invite the BJP to try and form a government.

While Jung did not talk much about his next move, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party leaders remained huddled with the party’s national leaders in the hope that the seniors would shed some light on whether the saffron party should attempt to form a government in the city.

Jung told mediapersons after an event in the police headquarters that it would not be appropriate for him to talk politics in public.

“I would not like to comment,” Jung said to a query if he is planning to invite the BJP – the single largest party in the Delhi Assembly – to try and form a government.
Jung had earlier sought permission from President Pranab Mukherjee to allow him to invite the BJP to explore government formation possibilities.

The Lieutenant Governor, it is believed, has not yet got any reply from the President.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay and some of his party colleagues met national party president Amit Shah and some members of the party’s parliamentary board to discuss Delhi’s political calculus.

“It was a routine meeting,” said Upadhyay.

Sources said there was some drama earlier at the Delhi BJP office when a team of leaders left to meet Shah without taking along party’s legislator from Janakpuri, Jagdish Mukhi.

Mukhi was allegedly not happy about being left out of the delegation which met Shah, they said.

The Janakpuri MLA is perceived as a self-proclaimed front-runner for the chief minister’s post in Delhi after Harsh Vardhan – the BJP’s chief ministerial face in the December 2013 Assembly polls – was elected as an MP and joined the Union government as Health Minister.

After the saffron party’s strong showing in Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls, some Delhi BJP leaders have started indicating that the party was ready to push for fresh election in the national capital.

Another section of legislators, including Mukhi, hope that Jung would invite the party to try and form the government in the House in which the BJP is the single largest party.
“The mood is upbeat. The party is always ready for elections,” said BJP’s Rajinder Nagar legislator R P Singh.

In the 70-member Assembly, whose current strength is 67, the BJP-Akali Dal enjoy support of 29 MLAs.

The AAP has 27 legislators, the Congress has eight and there are three others.