Caught unawares, BJP still hesitant about forming govt

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on Friday caught unawares by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation over the Delhi Lokpal Bill.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on Friday caught unawares by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation over the Delhi Lokpal Bill.

HT Image

Even as state unit chief Vijay Goel said they had convened a high-level meeting on Saturday to discuss the matter and take action accordingly, most party members were against forming a government as they did not have a clear majority.

A working group meeting has been called in which senior leaders such as Harsh Vardhan, OP Kohli, Jagdish Mukhi, Vijender Gupta, Arti Mehra, Vijay Jolly, Shikha Rai, Ramesh Bidhuri and others will take part.

Senior BJP leaders said they did not want to form the government with the support of Independents or indulge in horse-trading. “We have to focus entirely on the Lok Sabha elections and the national leadership is of the view that we should abstain from forming the government at this juncture,” said a senior BJP leader.

The state unit chief also criticised Kejriwal’s decision, stating that the entire episode was planned well to gain political mileage.

“They just want to focus on the Lok Sabha elections now and which is why they have simply abandoned Delhi. They are not concerned about Delhiites otherwise, they wouldn’t have done this,” said Goel.

Some were also of the view that if Delhi and Lok Sabha elections were held simultaneously, it will be advantageous for the BJP. BJP’s Delhi in-charge Prabhat Jha added, “We will wait and see how things unfold. Our party leaders will meet soon and take stock of the situation.”

With 31 legislators of its own and the support of the lone Akali Dal MLA, the BJP would require four more legislators to attain a simple majority in Delhi Assembly. JD(U) MLA from Matia Mahal, Shoaib Iqbal, is a staunch BJP opponent and is unlikely to support the party.

Mundka MLA Rambir Shokeen is the only Independent MLA in the city and even if he decided to support the BJP, the party would need three more MLAs on its side to form a government.