New Delhi: A loud and resounding 'yes' erupts from the crowd of 50 people who have gathered at the RK Puram sector park in Delhi as Shahzia Ilmi, the AAP candidate from the area, asks them if the party should take Congress support and form the government in the national capital.
There are similar scenes across the city. AAP's top leadership is facing their first big political test - take Congress' support to form the government and try and deliver on some of their promises, or hope for Delhi to vote them in to a majority if elections are held after six months.
"The idea was to go out there and ask for a yes or no, but they want a longer debate, and we explain that this is what It means to form a government with the Congress or not making a government and having a re-election" says Ms Ilmi.
Ms Ilmi had lost the election from the RK Puram constituency by barely 300 votes but that has not dampened her enthusiasm as she and her colleagues go across RK Puram to gauge Delhi's mood.
Raminder Singh, a retired bank official, who claims to have voted for AAP and has come to the party's 'jan sabha' says, "It's important that AAP forms the government to prove that it can deliver; if the Congress betrays by withdrawing support, AAP will get more sympathy."
He is countered by Pushpa Rani, a home maker who also voted for the AAP, and is at the 'sabha'. "The party should stay out of power and seek a fresh mandate, it has shown it can win and it will get more votes"
And that's the dilemma that the AAP leadership is facing. The party had won on a strong anti-Congress-anti-BJP plank and party leader Arvind Kejriwal had said that AAP would not tie up with either.
The party made a spectacular debut winning 28 seats in Delhi, falling short by just eight of a majority. The Congress, which was decimated to just 8 seats, has offered support.
Clamour for the party to stake claim to form the government, from Delhites as well as by many of its elected candidates in private, seems to be taking AAP towards accepting the Congress' offer.
Party senior leader Manish Sisodia who has been holding the referendum 'darbars' in Patparganj in east Delhi indicated today that the party is veering to staking claim, adding, "If the results have been like this, then we will stake claim to form the government."
Ironically, it's not just supporters and citizens but both the BJP and the Congress which want the AAP to form a government. Both have accused the new party of making impossible promises including providing 700 litres of free water to families and halve electricity rates, and want AAP to deliver.
The party has said that it will officially announce the result of its referendum on Monday.
There are similar scenes across the city. AAP's top leadership is facing their first big political test - take Congress' support to form the government and try and deliver on some of their promises, or hope for Delhi to vote them in to a majority if elections are held after six months.
"The idea was to go out there and ask for a yes or no, but they want a longer debate, and we explain that this is what It means to form a government with the Congress or not making a government and having a re-election" says Ms Ilmi.
Raminder Singh, a retired bank official, who claims to have voted for AAP and has come to the party's 'jan sabha' says, "It's important that AAP forms the government to prove that it can deliver; if the Congress betrays by withdrawing support, AAP will get more sympathy."
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And that's the dilemma that the AAP leadership is facing. The party had won on a strong anti-Congress-anti-BJP plank and party leader Arvind Kejriwal had said that AAP would not tie up with either.
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Clamour for the party to stake claim to form the government, from Delhites as well as by many of its elected candidates in private, seems to be taking AAP towards accepting the Congress' offer.
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Ironically, it's not just supporters and citizens but both the BJP and the Congress which want the AAP to form a government. Both have accused the new party of making impossible promises including providing 700 litres of free water to families and halve electricity rates, and want AAP to deliver.
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