Cong ready to give outside support to AAP: Shakeel Ahmed

The political future of Delhi is still uncertain as neither the Bharatiya Janata Party nor the Aam Aadmi Party are staking claim to form a government in the national capital. The BJP fell short by just four seats and AAP needs eight to reach majority in the 70-member Assembly.

The Congress which won eight seats on Tuesday appeared to be extending an olive branch to AAP to form a government in Delhi even as Arvind Kejriwal ruled out giving any support to BJP for the same.

Congress's Delhi in-charge Shakeel Ahmed said the party is prepared to give outside support to the AAP. "Many of our leaders feel that if AAP forms government, we should lend them unconditional support from outside. Nothing has been decided yet. We are speaking to our MLA," he said.

His remarks came shortly after Kejriwal ruled out support to BJP and termed as "personal opinion" the remarks of party leader Prashant Bhushan, who said that AAP may consider supporting BJP if the party gives AAP in writing that it will pass the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Later, the noted lawyer clarified that what he had said on Monday night was in a rhetorical context.

Bhushan said the party will not stake claim to form government and prefer to sit in the opposition. "We cannot support BJP or Congress as AAP was formed as an alternative to them. People have supported us so that we can establish an alternative politics in the country," Bhushan said.

Ever since AAP's spectacular debut in Delhi Assembly elections, Congress has gone soft on Kejriwal's party. Rahul Gandhi had said on Sunday that AAP involved a lot of people who the traditional political parties did not and "we are going to learn from that".

A known detractor of Kejriwal, Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh too termed AAP's victory as "something good for the electoral politics of democratic India".

"It strengthens people's belief in democracy, which they were fast losing. In fact, I was the first person to request Arvind Kejriwal that he should gather courage and participate in electoral politics if he wants to enact Jan Lokpal.

"I was also the first one, who complimented him when he formed AAP," he said.

All eyes were now set on Lt Governor Najeeb Jung as he can either invite the BJP to form the government or put the Assembly in suspended animation.