President Kovind dissolves 16th Lok Sabha

New Delhi, May 25: President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha as part of a formality before the constitution of the new Parliament. The tenure of the present Lok Sabha ends on 3 June.

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.

The new government will be sworn in sometime between 29 and 31 May in an outdoor ceremony, according to one person familiar with the development.

The newly-elected MPs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will meet on Saturday to formally elect Modi as their leader, setting in motion the process of formation of the new government.

The NDA stormed back to power with an even bigger mandate than in 2014. The coalition won as many as 353 seats out of the total 542 in the Lok Sabha, crossing its previous tally of 336.