According to TV reports, Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday morning that he will announce at about 11am whether the Aam Aadmi Party will form government in Delhi with the Congress' support or not.
AAP's political affairs committee meeting is underway at Kejriwal's residence in Ghaziabad to decide the course of action. Senior leaders Manish Sisodia, Kumar Vishwas and Gopal Rai are also present at the meet.
AAP will meet lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung at noon to inform him, in all likelihood, of its decision to stake claim. The swearing-in is likely to take place before the new year.
In the clearest indication yet that it plans to finally take the plunge, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party said on Sunday that its referendum — asking the public if it should take outside support from the Congress to form the government — had received an overwhelmingly positive response.
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It claimed to have received over seven lakh online responses while its jan sabhas (public meetings) — in each of the city’s 272 municipal wards and four each in New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment constituencies — held over the weekend drew big crowds of cheering supporters.
It claimed to have received over seven lakh online responses while its jan sabhas (public meetings) — in each of the city’s 272 municipal wards and four each in New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment constituencies — held over the weekend drew big crowds of cheering supporters.
“Our political affairs committee (PAC) will meet tomorrow morning to finalise the outcome,” party spokesperson Manish Sisodia said. A press conference has been announced at 11am, after which AAP leaders will meet Jung at 12.30pm.
Kejriwal told reporters that AAP would fulfill all its promises, some of them “within hours” of coming to power. Asked if he was confident that the Congress would allow his party to run the government, he said, “If we form the government, I am not afraid whether Congress continues its support or withdraws it. Let them do that, then there will be fresh elections and the common man will teach them a lesson.”
The December 4 elections had thrown up a hung assembly in Delhi with the BJP emerging the largest party with 32 seats (including one seat for ally Akali Dal) and AAP winning 28 with the Congress reduced to just eight in the 70-member assembly. After the BJP declined, AAP was invited to form the government and the Congress offered to help it reach the magic figure of 36 seats.
The party of rookies has not yet picked its ministerial candidates. “If at all we form the government, we will take the decision within two days,” Sisodia said.
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Watch what Kejriwal said: