New Delhi: Delhi Saturday moved closer to getting President’s rule with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal indirectly informing Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung that he is not keen on forming the government.

Accompanied by senior colleagues Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas, Kejriwal met Jung yesterday. Instead of saying a clear yes or no, he sought 10 days to decide on whether he will form the new government.

Delhi will come under President’s rule automatically from December 18 after expiry of the term of the outgoing assembly.

AAP had finished second behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the hung Delhi legislative assembly elected on Sunday.

Earlier BJP legislative party leader Dr. Harsh Vardhan had declined Lt Governor’s offer to form the government saying he did not have the majority support, following which Jung invited Kejriwal for the meeting.

AAP is better placed than the BJP since the vanquished ruling Congress party on Friday sent a letter to the Lt Governor offering its unconditional support if AAP formed the new government in Delhi. AAP had won 28 seats in the 70-member assembly while Congress finished a poor third by winning just eight seats compared to 31 by the BJP.

Instead of accepting or rejecting the Congress party’s unconditional outside support, Kejriwal opted to send strong worded letters to the Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and her BJP counterpart Rajnath Singh wondering why the two tainted parties wanted to support AAP when they never sought it.

“The real intention behind the unconditional support is to be known at any cost, because we have not demanded any support from the Congress and the BJP till now,” Kejriwal said after meeting Jung.

Both Congress party and BJP decided to hit out at AAP saying Kejriwal was trying to run away from taking responsibility after promising the virtual moon to the masses. “AAP is running away from responsibilities by putting conditions for support… Congress has given unconditional support to AAP,” Arvinder Singh Lovely, who was a senior minister in the outgoing Sheila Dikshit government and likely to be appointed leader of the Congress legislative party, said.

“AAP wants to dictate their terms to other political parties. We will not get into this. If this keeps on happening, how will the AAP make the promises made to the people a reality,” asking BJP spokesperson Balbir Punj while terming Kejriwal’s letters to both the parties as height of arrogance.

Kejriwal in his letter has asked both the parties to clear their stands on 18 promises AAP has made in its election manifesto including reducing power tariff by half, proving 700 litres of water free to each household besides a plethora of promises which many feel is difficult to fulfill.

Political observers feel AAP could be running away from forming the government realising that its best bet was to keep away from power than face public wrath if these promises cannot be fulfilled.

Lt Governor Jung later said that he would send a letter to the President stating factual position. In all likelihood he would recommend President’s rule for six months followed by fresh polls along with the Lok Sabha elections slated to be held in April-May next year.