Delhi BJP has stressed that its stand on government formation has been clear since December last year that it would never engage in horse-trading to come to power in the national capital after it earlier today declined the Lt Governor's offer to form a government here.
"BJP's stand on government formation in Delhi has been very clear since December 8, 2013, that it will never engage in horse-trading to form the government," said Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay.
After the results of the Assembly polls in December last year, the then Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan had declined to form a government here saying they did not have the required numbers.
"In view of the lack of clear mandate by the people of Delhi, BJP would like to sit in the opposition," Vardhan had said.
Delhi tonight appeared headed for Assembly polls after BJP, AAP and Congress said they were not for the formation of a new government while calling for polls to allow a fresh mandate to be sought to end the eight-month-long political uncertainty.
Indications are that Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, who met the leaders of the three political parties, may send his recommendation to the President for dissolving the Assembly any time.
While BJP declined the LG's offer, AAP and Congress made it clear that they were in favour of immediate elections.
The LG held consultations in the wake of the Supreme Court putting the issue on the fast track and giving him time till Nov. 11 to explore the possibility of government formation.
The court was hearing AAP's petition seeking early dissolution of the Assembly, which has been in suspended animation since February after the fall of the AAP government.
Upadhyay and Jagdish Mukhi of BJP, Haroon Yusuf of Congress and AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia met the LG today.
"All the parties expressed their inability to form the government. The LG would be sending his report to the President," a Raj Niwas release said.
Along with ally Akali Dal's lone MLA, BJP currently has 29 legislators and would require the support of five more MLAs to prove its majority in the 67-member Assembly.
BJP had emerged as the single-largest party after the December Assembly polls, winning 31 seats but falling four short of a simple majority.
After BJP declined to come to power, AAP had formed the government with the support of Congress. But the government led by Kejriwal resigned on Feb. 14, 2014, after the party's pet project, the Janlokpal Bill, could not be passed due to opposition from BJP and Congress.
President's Rule was imposed in Delhi on Feb. 17.
