We want fresh elections, says AAP

A day after one of its MLA suggested forming a government again in Delhi with Congress support, the Aam Aadmi Party rejected any such possibility. The party which failed to win even a single Lok Sabha seat in the capital in Parliamentary elections said it wanted fresh elections.

Speculation

At a review meeting in Delhi on Saturday some AAP MLAs had conveyed to the top leadership that the party should make a fresh attempt at forming government with support from either BJP or Congress. During the meeting AAP MLA Rajesh Garg mooted the idea while describing Arvind Kejriwal’s decision to resign as Delhi Chief Minister after 49 days in power as one of the major reasons behind AAP’s poor showing in the city in Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking to The Hindu, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Sunday dismissed the speculation saying the party was not considering any such possibility.

“AAP has no intention of forming a government again in Delhi with Congress support,” he said.

Asked to comment on whether such a proposal had been mooted by AAP MLAs, Mr. Sisodia said, “Come what may, we won’t form the government”.

AAP spokesperson Nagendar Sharma also ruled out the possibility of AAP forming the government. “There was no question of forming a government in Delhi in the present scenario. Now that the Parliamentary elections are over we are getting ready for Assembly elections,” Mr. Sharma said.

“We have been pushing for fresh elections since the time the AAP government resigned recommending dissolution of the Delhi Assembly. A case is pending in the Apex Court on this issue,” he added.

The AAP has also filed a petition in the Apex Court challenging the imposition of President’s rule in Delhi after it was informed that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi has decided to deal with the issue of fresh polls in the Capital after May 16. The SC is expected to hear the matter on July 4.

In the 70-members house, AAP had won 28 seats in its debut Assembly elections in December last year and later formed the government with outside support from Congress. Now, AAP has 27 MLAs while the BJP has 31 legislators but three of them have now become Members of Parliament.

Delhi has been under President’s rule since February 14 when AAP Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal resigned over his failure to pass the Jan Lokpal bill in the assembly.