The BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, Harsh Vardhan, is likely to meet Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung only in the evening on Thursday for a discussion on government formation.
Mr. Vardhan is going to Raipur in the morning for Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh’s swearing-in. “I am travelling to Raipur tomorrow so I will try to meet the Lieutenant-Governor in the evening after I return.”
Earlier in the day, President Pranab Mukherjee asked Mr. Jung about government formation, official sources said.
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After Sunday’s results threw up a hung Assembly with no party getting a simple majority of 36 seats, the ball is in Mr. Jung’s court to initiate the process of government formation. On Tuesday, the Election Commission notified the results.
The BJP and its ally, Shiromani Akali Dal, have 32 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. The AAP has bagged 28 seats.
It is unclear whether Mr. Vardhan will accept an invitation from Mr. Jung to form a government. The BJP has so far maintained that it cannot take a shot at power as it does not have the numbers. “We do not have the number to form a government,” Mr. Vardhan told reporters in the morning.
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The BJP, in fact, appears to be getting ready for fresh elections. After a meeting of its newly-elected MLAs on Tuesday, the BJP told them to be prepared for re-election.
The Aam Aadmi Party is also game for a re-poll. At a rally held on Wednesday, senior AAP leaders told party workers to be prepared to go to the electorate again. The AAP has maintained that it is the responsibility of the single largest party to form a government.