President Droupadi Murmu dissolved the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday after the recommendation of the Union Cabinet.

“The President accepted the advice of the Cabinet on June 5, 2024, and signed the Order dissolving the 17th Lok Sabha in the exercise of the powers conferred upon her by Sub-Clause (2) of Article 85 of the Constitution,” a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, whose term ends on June 16.

Following the meeting, PM Modi tendered his resignation along with his Council of Ministers to President Murmu. The President accepted the resignation and requested that the Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers continue until the new government assumes office.

According to sources, PM Modi will take the oath for the third time on June 8.

As per the results announced by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday, the BJP won 240 seats and the Congress 99 seats. BJP had won 303 seats in the 2019 general elections and 282 seats in the 2014 general elections. This time, the BJP fell 32 seats short of the majority mark of 272 and will need to rely on its allies to form a government.

On the other hand, the Congress registered a significant growth from 52 seats in 2019 to 99 seats this time. The Congress-led opposition coalition, the INDIA bloc, crossed 230 seats, defying all predictions.

(ANI)