Cabinet passes resolution for dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha

Day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) recorded a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections, the present Cabinet and Union Council of Ministers met for the last time on Friday and passed resolution for dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.

The tenure for the present Lok Sabha ends on June 3.

Prime Minister Modi would now meet President Ram Nath Kovind who is the Head of the Parliament and hand over the resolution. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitey, however, did not attend the meeting due to ill-health.

The process to constitute 17th Lok Sabha would begin after the Election Commissioners meet President Kovind and hand over the list of newly elected members.

Once President Kovind receives the notification, he can formally announce the dissolution of the Lower House, as per Article 83 (2) of the Indian Constitution.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP has retained power in the lower house of the Parliament for the second consecutive term, with a bigger mandate than 2014. The coalition won as many as 350 seats out of the total 542 seats in the Lok Sabha, crossing its previous tally of 336 seats in the last elections held in 2014.

In a record victory, BJP alone won 302, higher than 282 seats won it had won in 2014. However, Indian National Congress-led by Party president Rahul Gandhi was reduced to 52 seats, though slightly higher than 44 seats it had won in the previous elections.

While the date and venue for the swearing in ceremony of the Prime Minister Modi and his Council of Ministers is yet to be announced, it is most likely to take place over the next week.

The 16th Lok Sabha had 545 MPs out of which 62 are women, which has been the highest representation of women in the history of Parliament in the country.

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