Delhi gets AAP government: How the day unfolded

New Delhi: 1:38 pm: Arvind Kejriwal has now reached Constitution Club to meet AAP MLAs and decide the action plan of the party.

1:27 pm: AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said he supports the idea of AAP joining hands with the Congress. "AAP will try to faithfully go on with its agenda," he said.

1:19 pm: Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, when asked about the Congress's debacle, said people got carried away by the promises of the AAP. She said it is now for the AAP to fulfill the promises made.

12:58 pm: Kejriwal said that the Lt Governor will soon decide the date of the oath taking ceremony even as the venue decided is Ramlila Maidan.

12:55 pm: Arvind Kejriwal has staked claim to form the government in Delhi.

12:38 pm: Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said, "If AAP government works irresponsibly we can pull out anytime. Congress support is conditional to the work they do."

12:11 pm: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has reached Lt Governor Najeeb Jung's residence to stake claim to form the government. Sources say Kejriwal will take oath as the Delhi Chief Minister on December 26.

12:03 pm: Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said, "I don't understand this trend, vote happened just now. How correct is this in democracy? Will they come up with a referendum before any file gets signed?"

11:45 am: Delhi Congress chief Arviner Singh Lovely welcomed AAP's decision saying, "We didn't want Delhiites to be burdened with another election. It's good they are forming the government. We are giving outside support. They should implement their manifesto. If they work well, we will continue supporting them. If not, we will not support them. They should address all issues directly connected with people like water, electricity and employment. If they don't work well then the government may not even run for three months. We don't approve of the language they used."

11:38 am: BJP leader Harsh Vardhan called the AAP's decision a betrayal to the people of Delhi. "Kejriwal has compromised his principles for power. This is a betrayal to Delhi as Delhi voted against the Congress," he said. "AAP should now fulfill promises made," he added.

11:34 am: Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit congratulated Kejriwal and said he should now fulfill the promises he made. "We had said Congress will give outside support. My good wishes are with Arvind. AAP must fulfill the promises made to the public of Delhi," Dikshit said.

11:28 am: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will meet Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to stake claim to form the government in Delhi. Kejriwal said that he want to be sworn in at Jantar Mantar. "We want a swearing in ceremony at Jantar Mantar, I will take this request to the Lt Governor," Kejriwal said.

11:20 am: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has said that the party has decided to form the government. AAP leader Manish Sisodia said that out of 280 jan sabhas conducted by the party, in 257 sabhas, people wanted the party to form the government in Delhi.

11:17 am: The AAP PAC meet to decide on government formation has ended.

10:10 am: The Political Affairs Committee meeting of the Aam Aadmi Party has begun. "We are going in for political affairs meeting now. At 11 am we will announce whether we will form government or not," said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. "We will not ally with the Congress party or the BJP. We will go to the Lt Governor and say the public has asked us to form the government. When our majority will be tested, those who wish to serve the people of Delhi will support us. If we form the government, we will deliver on all promises," said AAP leader Kumar Vishwas.

However, sources say AAP is likely to take the support of the Congress on conditional grounds to form the next government. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal dropped enough hints on Sunday that AAP would finally lead the next government in Delhi.

The Congress had opposed re-election and offered unconditional support to the AAP, after which Arvind Kejriwal sought public opinion on the matter. AAP is likely to meet Lt Governor Najeeb Jung later in the day to convey its decision.

AAP claims that public opinion was in favour of it accepting this opportunity to form the government. It is also apparent the AAP is making plans to take its battle outside Delhi, in the general elections slated to be held in 2014.

AAP had contested Delhi polls on anti-Congress, anti-BJP plank. Therefore, the decision to form government with Congress support also exposes it to attack from the BJP, the single-largest party being made to sit out in the opposition.

BJP leader Arun Jaitley in an article accused AAP of 'compromising on its commitment on aternative politics, enacting a farcical referendum based on a self-serving model'. "Political opportunism should have no place in alternative politics dictated by idealism. AAP may be concerned with the fact that many MLAs including the AAP MLAs do not want early polls. It may even be strategising on how to capture power, announce a few popular decisions and carve out a further positioning for itself. It has, therefore, decided to enact a farcical referendum. In effect, political opportunism is being masked with the idea of popular sanction behind it," Jaitley said in a blog.

While Jaitley questioned AAP for political opportunism, Kiran Bedi, who with Kejriwal was at the forefront of the Anna Hazare led anti-corruption agitation, wondered whether AAP was between the "rock and hard place". "Is AAP between Rock and Hard Place?

Are they very grass rooted? Or are they risk averse therefore require shared responsibility? Time will tell!" she tweeted.

Bedi also raised concern over the "AAP-Congress alliance" in Delhi. "I don't know how long this alliance will last. As a resident of Delhi, I don't want to be a witness of mutual allegations. The alliance is very fragile. We voted for stability, growth, integrity, not a war of allegations," she said.

The Congress also added a rider to the unconditional support it has promised. "The AAP is blaming and abusing the Congress with no solid proof. We have not offered support to the party as such. We have agreed to support them because our manifestos are similar," said Congress leader Kiran Walia.

However, Delhi, it seems after weeks of political uncertainty, will finally have a government.