2013 Delhi Legislative Assembly election: Difference between revisions

[[Voter-verified paper audit trail]] (VVPAT) along with EVMs was used in 1 assembly seat in  Delhi elections-New Delhi.<ref>http://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/ec-to-test-paper-audit-trail-system-during-dec-4-delhi-polls-113111700385_1.html</ref><ref>http://www.firstpost.com/politics/delhi-elections-new-delhi-only-constituency-to-have-vvpat-machines-1265587.html</ref> Polling stations in Tuglaqabad, Karol Bagh, Trilokpuri and Badarpur reportedly had long waits because EVMs dysfunctioned. In Jungpura, Badli, Krishna Nagar, and Kondli constituencies, some voters complained that their names were on the electoral rolls and that they could not vote.

Former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said: "We accept our defeat and we will analyze what went wrong. We respect what the people of Delhi have decided and thank them for supporting us for last 15 years."<ref>http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sheila-dikshit-resigns-says-congress-will-analyse-what-went-wrong/1204985/</ref>

As no party won a majority of the 70 seats in the assembly,<ref name=eci>{{cite web |title=Assembly Elections December 2013 Results |work=ECI |publisher=Election Commission of India |url=http://eciresults.ap.nic.in |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6LocAsgys?url=http://eciresults.ap.nic.in/ |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy |access-date=8 December 2013 }}</ref> if the necessary [[coalition government]] is not possible, Delhi would be put under [[president's rule]] until a new election is held within six months. However, the INC, BJP, and AAP have all said they would not seek alliances with each other. The other option was to try to bring in independents; though since there are not enough, the media speculated that the other option would be lured away MLAs from another party (the AAP being the most likely in their analysis).<ref>http://www.firstpost.com/politics/delhi-election-result-what-happens-if-there-is-a-hung-assembly-1273783.html</ref>

As the BJP won 31 seats, while its alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal won one seat, they gained a plurality and would have the first right to form a new government. However, they declined the offer from Lieutenant-Governor [[Najeeb Jung]] to form a new government citing an inability to obtain a majority. Jung then invited the Aam Aadmi Party to form the government.<ref>http://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lt-governor-invites-aap-to-discuss-government-formation/articleshow/27249740.cms</ref> Kejriwal wrote to BJP national leader [[Rajnath Singh]] and INC national leader [[Sonia Gandhi]] for clarification on 18 issues before seeking their support in forming a coalition.

On 9 December, Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, [[Arun Jaitley]] wrote a blog suggesting that Congress should support AAP to form government in Delhi.<ref>{{Citation|last=ABP NEWS|title=Arun Jaitley slams Aam Aadmi Party|date=2013-12-09|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y6V1LdcgAU|access-date=2016-12-24}}</ref> The BJP did not reply and the INC agreed to 16 of the 18 issues and offered its outside support. On 14 December, BJP Chief Ministerial candidate [[Harsh Vardhan (Delhi politician)|Dr. Harsh Vardhan]] asked AAP to take congress support and form the government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan/status/411852502095503360|title=Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Twitter|newspaper=Twitter|access-date=2016-12-24}}</ref>  The AAP then sought public opinion through a variety of mediums<ref name="fp" /> such as via community meetings, text messages and pamphlets<ref>http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-18/news/45338283_1_arvind-kejriwal-leon-trotsky-direct-democracy</ref> about whether or not it should take the support of the INC.<ref name="fp">{{cite news|url=http://m.firstpost.com/politics/the-people-have-spoken-aap-to-rule-delhicongress-1298039.html?page=2|title=The people have spoken, aap to rule delhi congress}}</ref> AAP then formed a minority government with outside support from the INC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/aap-to-form-government-in-delhi-arvind-kejriwal-to-become-chief-minister/articleshow/27779404.cms |title= Kejriwal Becomes CM |date=23 December 2013 |website = [[The Economic Times]]|access-date = 23 December 2013}}</ref> In a letter to the Lieutenant Governor [[Najeeb Jung]], the AAP did not however mention that it has the support of the INC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/in-youtube-video-aap-explains-its-minority-government-462469 |title= AAP explains its minority government |date=24 December 2013 |website = [[NDTV]]|access-date = 24 December 2013}}</ref> Jung then sent his recommendations to [[President of India|President]] [[Pranab Mukherjee]]. Kejriwal was then sworn in as 7th [[Chief Minister of Delhi]] on 28 December, leading the youngest cabinet in Delhi ever.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/arvind-kejriwal-as-delhi-chief-minister-to-head-youngestever-cabinet-check-them-out/1211515 |title= Arvind Kejriwal, as Delhi Chief Minister, to head 'youngest-ever' Cabinet; check them out |date=25 December 2013 |website = [[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]]|access-date = 25 December 2013}}</ref> [[Maninder Singh Dhir|M. S. Dhir]] was elected as the speaker of the legislative assembly on 3 January 2014.<ref>http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/aaps-dhir-elected-delhi-assembly-speaker/article5534015.ece</ref>

Amongst its first tasks, the AAP initiated a corruption response mechanism in a "''durbar''";{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} it also retracted the [[Foreign direct investment#India|FDI]] in multi-brand retail that the previous government had sanctioned. Kejriwal said that though this would give consumers more options it has been shown that it "leads to loss of jobs to a very large extent. There is huge unemployment in Delhi and the AAP government does not wish to increase this unemployment. Delhi is not prepared for FDI."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/delhi-govt-withdraws-approval-for-fdi-in-retail/article5573839.ece|title=Delhi govt. withdraws approval for FDI in retail|last=Mehra|first=Vishal Kant, Puja|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=2016-12-24}}</ref> Yet he added that he was not against FDI by itself but that it needed to occur on a case-by-case basis.<ref>http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/01/aap-strikes-down-fdi-multi-brand-retail-201411471851252997.html</ref>

[[Category: State Assembly elections in Delhi|2013]]