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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  L-G to explore possibilities of govt formation in Delhi
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L-G to explore possibilities of govt formation in Delhi

Najeeb Jung to start talks with leaders of all parties in the next few days to find ways to form a popular govt

Moves to form a government would be based on the results of Assembly elections held in December last year as the city-state is currently under suspended animation. Photo: HTPremium
Moves to form a government would be based on the results of Assembly elections held in December last year as the city-state is currently under suspended animation. Photo: HT

New Delhi: Lieutenant-governor (L-G) Najeeb Jung will launch discussions with leaders of all political parties in the next few days to try and find ways to form a popular government in the national capital, his office said on Wednesday, more than eight months after the state was put under President’s rule.

This is the first attempt by the L-G to look for ways to form a government in Delhi after the state fell under President’s rule in February when chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) resigned.

“In view of the President’s approval to explore the possibility of installing a popular government in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung would be exploring the possibilities with the leaders of all political parties over the next few days," a statement from Jung’s office said.

While Jung is looking to help form a popular government in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is not sure about the timing of the government formation process. The BJP, which has 28 out of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly, believes that government formation process cannot be launched now because the Election Commission has already announced by-elections for three vacant seats in the national capital.

“There are by-elections in Delhi and now there is talk of holding discussions with political parties. How can these two things happen simultaneously? The BJP will take a decision when the party gets an invite (for talks)," said Prabhat Jha, the BJP’s Delhi in-charge.

The BJP won 31 out of 70 seats in assembly elections held last year, but three seats fell vacant after legislators Harsh Vardhan, Parvesh Sahib Singh and Ramesh Bidhuri were elected to Parliament this year. The by-elections to the three assembly seats are scheduled for 25 November and results will announced on 23 December.

However, the Delhi unit of the BJP is divided over government formation in Delhi. While a section of the members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) want the party leadership to try and form a government, most of the unit’s senior leaders want the party to start preparing for fresh polls.

“The work for assembly elections is going on in Delhi and the BJP is prepared for fresh polls. The fact is that even if the BJP retains all the three vacant seats which it had won in December 2013, the party will still be short of the halfway mark," said a senior BJP leader who is part of the decision-making process.

At the elections to the 70-seat Delhi assembly in November-December last year, the BJP won 31 seats, AAP made a spectacular debut with 27 seats and the incumbent Congress party managed only eight. With the BJP refusing to form the government, the AAP formed a minority government with outside support from the Congress.

It resigned after only 49 days in office after the Congress and BJP blocked its bid to pass a Bill to establish an independent anti-corruption ombudsman.

On Wednesday, both the Congress and the AAP criticized Jung’s move.

“The Supreme Court has already reprimanded the government and the L-G. It is beyond our understanding that when the BJP (and its ally Shiromani Akali Dal) had 32 seats, it refused to form government, now how is it possible to call them if they have only 29 seats?" Shobha Oza, a Congress spokesperson, told reporters on Wednesday.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “LG says he will call all party meeting in “next few days"? Why next few days? To seek adjournment in SC (Supreme Court) tomorrow? We demand that LG shud call all party meeting today itself, take final decision by evening and inform court tomorrow accordingly."

On Tuesday, the BJP-led central government had informed the Supreme Court that President Pranab Mukherjee had consented to a proposal by Jung to invite the party with the largest number of legislators in the Delhi assembly to form the government.

But a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu criticized Jung, saying he had done nothing regarding government formation in Delhi and adding that it would decide whether fresh elections could be ordered by the apex court.

It was hearing a petition filed by the AAP challenging the continued “suspended animation" that the Delhi government had been kept in, which, the party said “subverted" the people’s democratic right to be governed by their elected representatives.

The hearing continues on Thursday.

Apoorva contributed to this story.

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Published: 29 Oct 2014, 12:05 PM IST
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