Former Delhi Chief Minister and former Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit
, who served three consecutive terms as chief minister of Delhi, has irked her party, the Congress, by suggesting that the BJP should be allowed to take a shot at forming the government in the capital.
"Sheila ji's comments on government formation in Delhi may be her personal opinion.Congress MLAs and AICC are totally against extending support to BJP (sic)," said Shakeel Ahmed, Congress in-charge of Delhi.
Asked about the BJP's reported attempt to form a government in Delhi, Sheila Dikshit said: "The BJP is claiming that they will be able to form a government, I think it should be given a trial and specially if the president of their party is saying so, I suppose he must be saying it with a sense of responsibility."
Some view the comments made by Ms Dikshit, who recently resigned as Governor of Kerala, allegedly under pressure from the new union government, as a sign of her preference for the BJP over the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal who defeated her in her assembly polls last year.
"The real trial will come on the floor of the house," Ms Dikshit is referring to the fact that the BJP is short of five law-makers to win a majority vote in the state legislature.
The Congress, and much more vociferously, Arivnd Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have been arguing that new elections must be held in Delhi. The capital has been under central rule since February after Mr Kejriwal ended his minority government's tenure less than two months after it took office.
Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has advised the President of the country that the BJP should be invited to prove its strength in the legislature. The BJP has not yet indicated whether it will accept that chance, should it be offered.
In December's elections, the BJP won the most seats but decided not to try and form the government because it did not have a majority - the party's leaders said by serving as the opposition, they would respect the people's verdict. Mr Kejriwal, whose party had placed second, took Congress support to form the government.