PM Meets President, Steps Down with Cabinet
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met President Pratibha Patel and handed resignations of his Council of Ministers. Though Singh has stepped down from his post formally he will take care of his office till a new government is formed. The President is likely to invite him to form the next government tomorrow.
Earlier in day, cabinet members tendered their resignation to the PM as his official resident at 7 Race Course Road. The cabinet recommended to the President Patil the dissolution of the fourteenth Lok Sabha.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, passed a resolution to this effect. In the meeting, a resolution of appreciation for the Prime Minister was also passed.
According to reports, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, whose parties received a drubbing in the elections, also attended the meeting.
Armed with a decisive mandate, Manmohan Singh will meet the President on Tuesday to show the UPA alliance has the numbers, and formally stake claim to form a new government at the Centre.
The UPA has fallen short by around 10 MPs to get to the magic figure of 272, but managed to attract smaller parties and the support of some independents to shore up its numbers.
Meanwhile, with attention swiftly turning to government formation, speculation has begun on who will hold key positions in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s next cabinet. The Congress is already getting ready to address claims of allies like DMK, NCP and the newly added Trinamool Congress.
