Dehradun, Mar 8 (IANS): The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday scrambled to win the crucial support of independent and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmakers as uncertainty persisted over formation of a new government in Uttarakhand following a hung 70-member assembly.
The Congress said it had the first right to be invited to form the government being the single largest party with 32 members - three short of a simple majority.
But the BJP with 31 lawmakers claimed it was in the race too and was in talks with non-Congress lawmakers to win their support after Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri, who lost the election, resigned Wednesday.
The BJP leader submitted his resignation to Governor Margaret Alva but was asked to continue till formation of a new government in the hill state, a statement from the governor's office said.
The statement said the governor's office had not yet invited anyone nor has any party staked claim.
The deadlock over formation of the new government comes after assembly elections threw a result with no party having the required numbers to head the state on its own.
The newly-elected house has three independents, three BSP members and one from the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal-Panwar - who hold the key to a new state government.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi said the party has the numbers and should be called to form the government.
Echoing his leader's views, Uttarakhand Congress chief Yashpal Arya told reporters here: "We are the single largest party. It is a parliamentary practice that the single largest party is first invited to form the government."
Arya expressed confidence that the Congress had the numbers to stake claim and lead the new government in the hill state where no political party managed to cross the magic figure of 35.
"We have got the numbers. We will form the government. Three independents have pledged support. We are talking with others too. Our number will touch 38. We will form the government after Holi," he said.
Congress MP Vijay Bahuguna from the state said independents and some BSP members, who have a "Congress background", have already pledged their support to his party.
He said a delegation of party leaders from the state would be travelling to Delhi and meet Sonia Gandhi who will nominate the new Congress chief minister.
The BJP on the other hand said it has not lost hope of forming a government and claimed it had the support of independent lawmakers.
Senior BJP leaders, former party president Rajnath Singh and Ananth Kumar, flew down to Dehradun and held a meeting to discuss a strategy to gather support to form the government.
"No possibility can be ruled out," Rajnath Singh, who is in-charge of the party's affairs in the state, told reporter after the meeting.
"The decision regarding who will be the new leader of the legislature party will be decided by the high command."
Khanduri said his party was "looking at those who are willing to support and on what terms and conditions".
"A normal procedure is there. Back channel, front channel, all channels are open," Khanduri said.
Asked about the Congress staking its claim, the chief minister said: "I don't know what they have done. As far as my knowledge goes, a party stakes its claim only after the Election Commission issues full notice."