All eyes are now on Supreme Court as it takes up a petition to dissolve the Delhi Assembly and hold fresh elections on Friday. There is suspense over what would be the Centre’s position over Government formation before the Supreme Court on Friday. All political parties are watching with interest as to what will be the outcome. The Supreme Court verdict will clear the air as the President of India has not given a reply to lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung in a letter that spoke about exploring the possibility of forming a Government in the national Capital.
The Supreme Court had on September 9 asked the Centre to apprise it on October 10 of the outcome of the process undertaken by the lieutenant Governor on Government formation, saying “alleged horse-trading” would continue if a decision was not taken.
Political experts say the outcome of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana are expected to decide the fate of the Delhi Assembly, which has been in suspended animation since February. In the absence of a clear-cut majority, the party was likely to take a final call on Government formation after announcement of the Assembly poll results in Maharashtra and Haryana on October 19. “The results in the two States are likely to make things clear for the party in Delhi.
Since a majority of the MlAs are reportedly not in favour of going for fresh elections, a series of discussions were being held within the ranks of AAP and BJP to handle the complex situation. While a majority of the MlAs from AAP, BJP and Congress — which has strength of only 8 members — are opposed to fresh elections, insiders said that the public posturing of the three has been otherwise.
According to political pundits, if BJP emerges as the single-largest party in these two States, the party may opt for fresh polls in Delhi. On the one hand, BJP has maintained it would take a call only after receiving a formal invitation from the lieutenant Governor on Government formation, on the other, it is ready to face-off in the hustings. A senior BJP leader said that since the party is yet to receive any invitation on Government formation and its local leaders are busy in the Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana, the saffron party was expected to take a final decision on the matter only after poll results of the two States are announced on October 19.
The party is also in a dilemma as to who it should project as its chief ministerial candidate in case fresh elections are declared in Delhi.
After three of its MlAs were elected to the lok Sabha, the BJP and its allies are left with strength of 29 legislators in the Delhi Assembly. Any party which has a support of 34 MlAs can stake claim in Government formation in the 67-member Assembly. The AAP, which had won 28 seats, is left with only 27 legislators after it expelled MlA Vinod Kumar Binny for indulging in anti-party activities.
It was the newbie AAP which had approached the Supreme Court to dissolve the Delhi Assembly. The Assembly was placed under suspended animation and the President’s Rule was imposed in Delhi soon after AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Chief Minister after running the Government for 49 days.
While Kejriwal had demanded in his resignation letter that fresh elections be held in the city, lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, in turn, placed the Assembly in suspended animation. Soon after the lok Sabha elections, there were strong rumours that some MlAs from AAP and Congress were on the verge of a split to help BJP form the Government in Delhi.
Fearing that the AAP MlAs were reportedly being approached by some BJP leaders, AAP moved Supreme Court seeking dissolution of the State Assembly. On September 4, the lieutenant Governor had sent a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking his guidance on whether to call the BJP, the single-largest party, to take a shot at forming Government in the Capital.