EC submits list of MPs to President for 17th Lok Sabha

The full Election Commission on Saturday called on President Ram Nath Kovind and handed over the list of 542 newly-elected members of the Lok Sabha that will enable him to initiate the formal process of new government formation.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and the other two Commissioners, Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, met the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan and gave him a copy of the notification issued by the poll body in terms of provisions of the Representation of the People Act containing the names of MPs elected in the just-concluded polls.

While the notification sets in motion the constitution of the 17th Lok Sabha, the list given to the President enables him to initiate the government formation process.

On Saturday evening, newly-elected MPs of the National Democratic Alliance are likely to elect Narendra Modi as their leader.

After this, a delegation of leaders of the BJP and its allies is expected to call on the President and convey to him their choice of Prime Minister as Modi following which he will be invited to form the government.

The BJP has secured a majority on its own in the elections, winning 303 seats.

Elections were held in 542 of the 543 seats as the election in the Vellore Lok Sabha seat was cancelled by the EC citing abuse of money power. A fresh date is yet to be announced.