EC notifies Delhi results, Lt Governor to take call on next govt

New Delhi: The Election Commission today notified results of the Assembly polls in Delhi, paving way for start of the formal process of government formation by the Lt Governor. As the election has thrown up a hung verdict, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung is now expected to formally explore all options to put in place a government and is likely to call BJP, which along with its ally Akali Dal’s one seat, has support of 32 MLAs in the 70-member House.[caption id=“attachment_1279383” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung. PTI[/caption] If BJP declines such an offer, then Jung may ask AAP if was willing to explore the possibility of government formation, election experts said. In case AAP also refuses to take the offer, then the Lt Governor may be left with little option but to recommend Central rule. AAP has got 28 seats followed by Congress with eight. JD-U has won one seat while the Mundka seat has gone to an Independent. The BJP today stuck to its earlier position that it did not have the numbers to form the government and that it was ready to face fresh election. “We don’t have enough numbers to form a stable government and we are ready to fight the election once again, if such a situation arises,” BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan told reporters, emerging from a meeting of newly elected MLAs. AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal maintained that as the single largest party, it was the responsibility of BJP to form the government. “BJP has been given the mandate. It is the single largest party. So it should try and form the government taking support of Congress,” he said. PTI