NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to stake claim to form the government in Delhi on Monday and its leader Arvind Kejriwal may swear in as the chief minister at Jantar Mantar instead of Raj Bhawan, some party members have said.The decision to form the government with Congress support has been driven by an overwhelming approval from the public in its referendum conducted over the weekend, the party members said.Although the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did not announce the results of the referendum on Sunday, the positive trend was evident at most of the meetings it organised, including the four attended by Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency.“The response is an overwhelming ‘yes’ and we cannot run away from this responsibility given to us by the people,” said Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia, who held eight public meetings in his constituency over the weekend.Senior leaders told ET on the condition of anonymity that the party’s final decision will be announced at 11 am on Monday and then Kejriwal will proceed to meet the Lt Governor Najeeb Jung at noon.AAP’s inclination to form a minority government with Congress’ support was first reported by ET on December 20.The party is keen to hold Kejriwal’s swearing in ceremony at Jantar Mantar, from where it launched its anti-corruption crusade, in a departure from the practice of taking oath at the governor’s house, Raj Bhawan.The chief minister along with his cabinet of ministers will be sworn in on either Wednesday or Thursday, some members said.“Just like how we want to pass the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill in the Ram Lila Maidan, the party wants Kejriwal to take his oath in the presence of all the voters, volunteers and supporters who made our electoral victory possible. But we need to seek the L-G’s permission for this,” said a leader who did not wish to go on record till his party officially announces its decision.By Sunday evening, the Aam Aadmi Party had conducted 272 public meetings of which over 80% were in favour of forming the government.Each of the four meeting held by Kejriwal in his constituency on Sunday saw a huge turnout. A loud and resounding yes erupted from the crowd each time he asked whether AAP should form a government in Delhi.The referendum was held after Delhi threw up a fractured mandate where BJP fell four short of majority with 32 seats and AAP came in a close second with 28 seats. The Congress, which has just eight MLAs, has offered unconditional outside support for AAP to form the government.“If the Congress is offering support then we should take it and do as many good things as possible in the little time AAP can stay in power,” Vijay Baba, a rickshaw puller who attended one of the meetings held by Kejriwal, said. “If the Congress plays foul then the electorate of this city will be witness to that and the party will be punished for it,” he added.Although the party did not reveal the mandate collated from over seven lakh responses received through SMSes, phone calls and web-based surveys, sources indicated it wasn’t too different from the mandate received via public meetings.

The passage of the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, free water supply of up to 700 litres to every family every day and an audit of power distribution companies are the three promises that will top AAP’s list of priorities once it comes to power.