President Ram Nath Kovind dissolves 16th Lok Sabha, Modi to take oath as PM next week

President Ram Nath Kovind Saturday dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha with immediate effect on recommendation of the Union cabinet, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement. A communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said the President dissolved the Lok Sabha after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi made such a recommendation Friday. "The President has accepted the advice of the Cabinet on 24.05.2019 and signed the Order dissolving the 16th Lok Sabha," it said.

The president had on Friday accepted the resignation of Modi and his council of ministers but asked them to continue as caretaker until formation of a new government. Modi is expected to take oath as a new prime minister next week.

 

#PresidentKovind has accepted advice of the Cabinet to dissolve the 16th Lok Sabha with immediate effect. The President signed the Order dissolving the 16th Lok Sabha in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Sub-clause (b) of Clause (2) of Article 85 of the Constitution

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 25, 2019

In the just-concluded parliamentary polls, the BJP scored a resounding victory, bagging 303 out of 542 seats. Its arch rival, the Congress, was way behind at 52.

48 years after Indira Gandhi, India has seen return of a Prime Minister with a majority. The stellar vote surge from 17 crore to 22 crore has solidified BJP’s grip. The 2019 mandate also means that India’s voters have once again put faith in the decisive leadership of Narendra Modi. 

With the BJP riding a Modi wave that took it past its 2014 tally of 282, the opposition was left way behind with the Congress winning only 52 seats, two less than it needs for a Leader of Opposition post in the lower house and marginally more than the 44 it got in the last general elections.

Regional parties followed the Congress in the electoral table.The DMK with 23 wins, the Trinamool Congress and the YSRCP with 22 each, the Shiv Sena with 18 and the Janata Dal-United with 16 made their presence felt in an election that took on overtones of a presidential contest with the domination of Modi.

BJP leaders described this win as “even more significant” than the one in 2014 when its alliance had won 73 seats in Uttar Pradesh. That’s because the party has secured nearly 49.5% of vote share, and the icing on the cake is Union leader Smriti Irani defeating Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. In 2014, the party had managed to garner a total amount of 42.3 per cent vote share.

(With PTI inputs)