Lt Governor invites Aam Aadmi Party to discuss govt formation

Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday invited Aam Aadmi Party Convener Arvind Kejriwal to discuss government formation after BJP refused the offer, raising the prospect of fresh elections as AAP is also likely to decline.

Kejriwal received a call from the LG office in the evening soon after BJP's chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan declined the offer to form a government citing lack of majority in the 70-member House.

"Arvind got a call from the LG, after Harsh Vardhan declined to form the government. We have been given a time for Saturday at 10:30 AM for meeting with the LG," AAP leader and party spokesperson Manish Sisodia told PTI.

The party is sticking to its stand of neither taking support from Congress or BJP nor support them.

"We are clear on our stand. We would be sticking to our stand that we would neither take support to form the government nor support Congress or BJP," Sisodia said.

Senior party leaders would be meeting tomorrow to discuss the future course of action.

Earlier, Vardhan met the Lt Governor, who invited him to discuss government formation, but the BJP leader said his party would like to sit in the opposition in view of the lack of clear mandate by people of Delhi.

The Delhi polls threw up a fractured mandate with no party securing majority in the 70-member assembly and BJP emerging as the single largest party with 31 seats on its own. BJP's ally Akali Dal has one MLA, bringing its tally to 32.

AAP won 28 seats, followed by Congress' eight. JD(U) has won one seat while the Mundka seat has gone to an Independent.

Kejriwal, while addressing a public meeting yesterday, asked his volunteers to be prepared for re-election.