President asks Lt Governor about govt formation in Delhi

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee today asked Lt Governor Najeeb Jung about the process of government formation in Delhi even as BJP, the single-largest party in the assembly, and the Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) made it clear that they are not staking claim.

Official sources said Mukherjee asked Jung about how he was proceeding on the issue amid speculation that Delhi will be put under President's Rule and fresh elections will be announced.

The Lt Governor Najeeb Jung held consultations with experts to explore the next course of action.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan reiterated his party's stand on the issue, saying it does not have the required numbers to form the government while AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal declared that his party would prefer to face fresh polls.

Sources said in the wake of the publicly stated position of both BJP and AAP, the Lt Governor was considering "all options".

BJP, along with its ally Akali Dal's one seat, has 32 MLAs in the 70-member House while AAP has got 28 seats followed by Congress' eight. JD-U has won one seat while the Mundka seat has gone to an Independent.

The Election Commission had yesterday notified results of the Assembly polls in Delhi, paving the way for start of the formal process of government formation by the Lt Governor.

If President's Rule is imposed, then the Lt Governor will run the government with the help of a group of advisors.