CEC Rajiv Kumar, 2 ECs meet Prez Murmu; present details of new Lok Sabha members

NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar along with two election commissioners on Thursday presented details of newly elected Lok Sabha members to President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

The meeting is part of the process for the formation of the next or the 18th Lok Sabha.

CEC Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, met the President at 4.30 pm, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

"A copy of the notification issued by the Election Commission of India, in terms of Section 73 of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, containing the names of the members elected to the House of the People following the General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, was submitted by them to the President," it said.

The section mandates "publication of results of general elections to the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies and of names of persons nominated thereto".

President Murmu congratulated the CEC and the election commissioners on the successful completion of the electoral process, the largest democratic exercise in human history, the statement said.

"On behalf of the entire country, she appreciated the efforts of the Election Commission, its officials and members of staff, other public officials who were involved in management and superintendence of the campaign and polling, and police and security personnel, Central and State, for working tirelessly and diligently to uphold the sanctity of the people’s ballot and successfully completing a free and fair election," it said.

President Murmu also commended hundreds of millions of voters, who participated in the election process in such large numbers, the statement said.

"This, the President noted, was entirely in keeping with our Constitution and India’s deep and unshakeable democratic traditions," it said.

President Murmu had on Wednesday dissolved the 17th Lok Sabha on the advice of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet. The term of the current Lok Sabha ends on June 16 and before that, a new government has to be established.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a majority in the recently concluded general elections.

While the NDA is comfortably above the majority mark of 272 by winning 293 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the BJP, which won 240 seats, has fallen short of the magic number for the first time since 2014.

The opposition INDIA bloc has won 234 seats.

Meanwhile, Modi was unanimously elected as the NDA leader during a meeting of the alliance here on Wednesday -- paving the way for him to take oath for a third straight term as the head of the coalition government.

Elected Lok Sabha members belonging to the NDA are expected to meet on Friday to formally elect Modi as their leader.

The alliance leaders will then meet the President to submit their letters of support, former Bihar chief minister and founder of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) Jitan Ram Manjhi had said.

Modi had on Wednesday tendered resignation along with his council of ministers to Murmu, who accepted it and asked him to continue till the new government assumes office.