All eyes on SC over fate of Assembly

All eyes on Tuesday will be on the Supreme Court hearing in which the fate of the Delhi Assembly could be decided if the central government tells the court that it wants to dissolve the House.

With by-polls on three seats scheduled for November 25, there is a possibility that the Centre may also seek time till November-end to take a final call on whether to pave the way for a fresh polls on all the 70 Assembly seats.

In either case, the Delhi political circles will remain abuzz in the next four weeks with all major players – the BJP, the Congress and the AAP – claiming to be poll-ready and hungry for gaining a majority in the possible fresh Assembly polls and the by-polls.

Delhi Congress chief spokesman Mukesh Sharma said: “There is little chance that the Centre would propose to dissolve the House in the hearing on Tuesday.”

“If they really want fresh elections then they do not need to wait for the court hearing to reveal their plan to recommend dissolution of the House. It can be done today itself,” said Sharma, claiming that the Congress was in a mode to bounce back with bigger numbers.

Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh and Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay have also repeatedly expressed confidence of winning a handsome majority in the by-polls. 

Lovely claimed the people had seen how the city has suffered under the central rule in the last eight months. “There is anger in the voters and it will reflect in all coming elections,” he said.

Some leaders in the BJP leaders, including N K Garg, have hinted that fresh Assembly polls could be held in January.In July, a bench of the apex court referred the AAP’s petition seeking dissolution of the House to a Constitution Bench.

The judges ruled at that time that the pendency of the case would not prevent Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung from taking any decision on the dissolution of the Assembly.

Earlier, in his report to President Pranab Mukherjee, Jung said though no party has staked claim to form government in Delhi, BJP could be invited to take the reins as it is the single largest party in the 70-member Assembly which was placed under suspended animation in February after the exit of the AAP government.

The Supreme Court was also told about Jung’s report.Currently, BJP, along with ally Akali Dal’s lone MLA, has 29 legislators and will require the support of five more MLAs to prove majority in the hung Assembly.

The party had emerged the single largest party after the Assembly polls in December last year with 31 seats besides ally Akali Dal’s one MLA.