Delhi deadlock: Manish Tewari demands fresh polls

Amid speculations that Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung may invite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the government in Delhi, Congress leader Manish Tewari on Saturday said fresh polls should take place in the national capital.

"Well, the fact is that the BJP was the single largest party even on day one. So, therefore, they could have formed the government even then, and if the BJP is not scared of going to the people, then why doesn't the Lieutenant Governor recommend to the Election Commission that elections in Delhi should be held along with elections in the rest of the states," said Tewari.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majid Memon also echoed similar sentiments on the issue, saying the political scenario in Delhi is complex and hence elections could be the only solution.

"The political position is very peculiar in Delhi. No single party or group is in a position to cross the 34-mark and, therefore, neither the BJP nor AAP will be in a position to form the government unless there is horse trading, which should be deprecated," said Memon.

"So, I think the best interest or the best option today for Delhi is that it should go to polls all over again," he added.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal will meet President Pranab Mukherjee today in the wake of reports that the Lieutenant Governor has recommended that the option of inviting the single largest party, the BJP, to form government in Delhi must be explored.

A delegation of AAP leaders, led by Kejriwal, will call on the President to request him not to allow the Lieutenant Governor to invite the BJP.

Kejriwal earlier today said that the BJP wants to form the government in Delhi by horse-trading.

"There are three parties in Delhi, AAP, Congress and BJP, but none of them have majority votes. Congress can't form the government, AAP is asking for elections, so naturally BJP will try to form government by horse-trading, by purchasing Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) which is absolutely wrong. They want to purchase MLAs in Rs 20 crores," Kejriwal told ANI here.

Kejriwal also questioned Lieutenant Governor's decision to invite the BJP to form the government in Delhi.

"We are meeting the President today and will request him to interfere in this matter and the BJP shouldn't get the invitation to form the government in Delhi at any cost," he added.

Delhi has been under the President's rule since February 17 this year after Kejriwal resigned as the Chief Minister over the non-introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill in the state assembly.