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If Arvind Kejriwal was the man of the match in yesterday’s Assembly elections, then Najeeb Jung will be the man to watch out for in the days ahead. How Jung exercises his powers as the Lt Governor of Delhi will dictate who forms the government in the national capital.
Six-months into his job, Jung faces the predicament which few presidents and governors have faced: Who to call first, when none of the parties have the numbers to form a stable government? Going by the past, he is expected to ask the BJP first, as it is the party with the highest numbers.
In the scenario of the BJP being called first, the party will have three options.
First, it could claim that it has the support to form the government. In that case, it will need support from dissenting Congress or AAP MLAs. The BJP, at present, is four short of a majority.
First, it could claim that it has the support to form the government. In that case, it will need support from dissenting Congress or AAP MLAs. The BJP, at present, is four short of a majority.
Second, it could sit in the Opposition. This will, however, mean that the AAP forms the government, with Congress’ support.
Finally, it may request the governor for a re-poll.
At the moment, the third option looks most likely. The reasoning of the party is simple. It feels breaking the AAP or the Congress sends a negative message to the masses. Also, with the anti-defection law, breaking parties has become difficult. The BJP would have to either attract 18 AAP MLAs or six Congress MLAs. This will be a difficult feat to achieve.
A section of the party is also of the view that a re-poll near the Lok Sabha elections will ensure a victory. The leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, hints at it in his recent facebook post, “In Delhi, even though we are the largest party and close to the majority figure, the result is below our expectations. We had expected at least 5-6 seats more than we have won.”
The saffron party is also unlikely to become the main Opposition. This is so as the AAP has refused accepting support from the Congress. This leaves the option of a re-poll as the most likely.
However, the worry within the BJP is that a re-poll could result in a further sweep for the AAP. The reasoning goes that AAP fell short as some voters were reluctant to bet on a newcomer. “If there is a re-poll, expect the AAP to form the government,” confided a BJP member, who closely worked with Harsh Vardhan, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi.
