The AAP and the Congress on Tuesday attacked the BJP, accusing it of “running away” from fresh elections in Delhi after the Supreme Court rapped the Centre and Delhi Lt Governor over the delay in government formation in the national capital.

With the tables yet again turned on it, the BJP, according to indications, has started preparations to form a minority government. The party, which had 31 seats in the 70-member Assembly, has only 28 representatives at present. By-elections to three seats, vacated by senior BJP MPs Harsh Vardhan, Ramesh Bidhuri and Pervesh Verma, are due.

The BJP’s plans to find support from AAP and Congress legislators have not succeeded. The party, however, is keen to form a minority government which, in all likelihood, will not last long.

Soon after the resignation of the AAP government headed by Arvind Kejriwal, the State BJP had shown keen interest to form the government.

On Tuesday, following the development in the Supreme Court, the BJP said it will take a decision at an appropriate time once the LG invites it to form the government.

Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay, however, said the party has not changed its position on government formation. The BJP’s game plan is to face the electorate after ruling for a brief period and focus its campaign towards obtaining absolute majority in the Assembly.

The AAP alleged that the BJP is running away from elections. “The BJP is not confident of winning Assembly elections, that is why they are delaying it. It is playing dirty politics over the issue. If BJP had the magic numbers, it would have formed the government in the national capital,” Kejriwal said. “BJP knows it doesn’t have the numbers... which is why it running away from fresh elections,” he added.

The Congress said the BJP cannot form a government as it does not have the numbers. The party urged the Centre to announce Assembly elections at the earliest. “That is what we were asking for that the LG should take a decision. In order to please his masters at the Centre — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team — he (Najeeb Jung) was resorting to delaying tactics to give the BJP enough time and opportunity to poach MLAs of other parties,” said AICC general secretary in-charge of Delhi, Shakeel Ahmed.