SC says declaration of dates for Delhi Assembly polls to be made by EC

The Supreme Court has said it will not intervene in the declaration of dates for the Delhi Assembly elections, and added that it was the Election Commission of India's responsibility to do so.

The apex court rejected a petition filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over a decision on poll dates in the capital, saying that the decision comes under the jurisdiction of the ECI.

Last week, the Union Cabinet had given its approval for the dissolution of the Delhi State Assembly after holding a meeting to discuss Lieutenant-Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung's recommendation.

Jung had sent a status report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over government formation in the capital after consultations with the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at Raj Niwas to explore the possibility of government formation in Delhi. The LG had met all the three party leaders separately.

In the meeting, all the parties had expressed their inability to form the government in Delhi.

Delhi has been under President's rule since February after the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government stepped down after 49 days in power.