No central role in Delhi govt formation: Shinde

The Centre on Tuesday put the onus of government formation in Delhi on the BJP, the single-largest party, and the Aam Admi Party (AAP), saying the Home Ministry will not interfere in the process.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said his ministry has not received any communication from the office of the Lt Governor of Delhi on the subject.

The Delhi elections have left a hung Assembly with the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal combine emerging as the single-largest bloc with 32 seats in a House of 70.

The AAP came second with 28 seats, while the ruling Congress was decimated to the third position with just 8 seats.

Delhi is staring at another election in six months time as both the BJP and AAP have been maintaining that they will not stake claim to form the government as they do not have the mandate.

“What can we do? We will have to wait and watch. We cannot do anything. Whatever is to be done, has to be done by the two parties (BJP and AAP),” Shinde told reporters here when asked about government formation in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Congress virtually conceded defeat even before the start of the battle for next year’s Lok Sabha elections with senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar stating that the party should be ready to sit in the Opposition.

Aiyar and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh also tried to put a ring around Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to shield him from questions raised on his ability to lead the party in the Lok Sabha elections.