New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal is set to be the next Delhi chief minister. In the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) on-going opinion survey, nearly 75 per cent of the respondents want the party to form the next government, said party sources on Friday.

Party spokesman and Patparganj legislator Manish Sisodia said the early trends of the public response have shown that people are largely in favour of the AAP forming the government.
“From today we have started holding public meetings to directly seek people’s views on the party’s next step,” Sisodia said.

Sources said the responses from various sources – 25 lakh pamphlets, SMSes, IVR and web – were being studied and the findings were being put together. “There is, however, a trend that shows that nearly 75 per cent of the people want the party to form the Delhi government,” said a party legislator, who did not want to be named.

Over half a million responses have been received by the AAP party through SMSes, IVR and web, a party leader said.

Divided opinion

The debutant party, which has 28 seats in the 70-member Assembly, has a divided opinion among its legislators on the issue of government formation – with outside support from the Congress which has eight seats.

Kejriwal said a final decision on the public response on whether the party should form the next Delhi government will be taken on Sunday night and made public on Monday morning.

On December 14, Kejriwal met Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and sought some time to convey the party’s decision on whether it will form the government. A day before the meeting, the Congress wrote to the governor extending unconditional support to the AAP for forming the government.

Soon after the meeting with Jung, the AAP decided to seek public opinion on whether it should form the government. Kejriwal has said the process of seeking public opinion would end by Sunday and the party’s next step would be announced on Monday.

Jung invited Kejriwal to consider forming a government after the BJP, which has the support of 32 MLAs, expressed its inability in ruling the city due to lack of a clear majority to reach the figure of 36.

After his meeting with Kejriwal, the lieutenant governor sent a report to President Pranab Mukherjee about the possible options of suspending the Assembly and imposing the President’s rule if the AAP decides not to form the government.