Delhi headed for assembly polls as Congress refuses to again back AAP

Early state elections in Delhi are now inevitable, as the Congress made it clear on Sunday that it would not again extend support to an Aam Admi Party government. The Delhi Congress today said that it will prefer fresh election in the city than supporting the Aam Aadmi Party again to cobble together a government.

"There is no question of extending support to AAP to form a government again. Arvind Kejriwal had deserted people of Delhi by resorting to theatrics. He had gone to the Supreme Court seeking dissolution of the House. We will not support the party again," chief spokesperson of the Congress Delhi unit Mukesh Sharma said.

After its spectacular performance in the Delhi assembly elections in December last year, the AAP drew a blank in the state during the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, though its candidates came second behind the Bharatiya Janata Party in all the seven constituencies, relegating all the sitting Congress MPs, including leading lights like Kapil Sibal, Ajay Maken and Krishna Tirath to the third position.

''Congress never withdrew support to the AAP government. Kejriwal quit the government and left the people of Delhi in the lurch to gain political mileage in the Lok Sabha polls. As they did not succeed in the Lok Sabha polls, they are talking about forming a government again," said Sharma.

Following the party's dismal performance, some legislators of the AAP had mooted a proposal on Saturday for the party to once again form government in Delhi, with support from either the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Congress.

Sharma accused the AAP of being a 'spoiler', as Manmohan Singh, who ceased to be prime minister as of Sunday, had once championed strong independent candidates who nonetheless had no real chance of victory.

"Kejriwal … ensured the BJP's sweep in Delhi through the division of secular votes. There is a possibility of some AAP MLAs defecting to the BJP. If that happens, then Kejriwal will be responsible," he said.

"We are ready for elections," Sharma added.

The BJP has already said that it would prefer fresh election than forming a government through "manipulation".