NEW DELHI: With the Election Commission on Saturday announcing that the bypolls to the three Assembly seats in Delhi, which had fallen vacant after the three sitting BJP MLAs got elected to the Lok Sabha, would be held on November 25 the political scenario in the state has taken a curious turn.
The three Assembly seats, which will go to the polls, Krishna Nagar in East Delhi, Tughlakabad and Mehrauli in South Delhi. The Commission also announced that the counting of votes will take place on December 23.
Interestingly, the final call on dissolving the Delhi Assembly and to go for fresh polls might be taken on October 28 as the Centre has to inform the Supreme Court of its stand on government-formation in Delhi.
Delhi is presently under President’s rule after the AAP Government resigned in February after recommending the dissolution of the House. After Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung placed the Delhi Assembly under suspended animation, the AAP approached the Supreme Court.
The BJP sources said that they will like to go for fresh polls as the stunning victory in Haryana and Maharashtra has increased the party’s confidence. But the local leaders are still in a dilemma over the BJP central leadership decision. “The central leadership will decide on the issue,” BJP senior leader Jagdish Mukhi told Express. Mukhi said that the bypoll was bound to be announced as per rule.
Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said that the announcement of byelections had proved that both the BJP Government at the Centre and the party were ready to go to the people at the appropriate time. “The results of the byelections will decide which party is more popular in Delhi,” he said.