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Modi To Meet President In Evening To Stake Claim To Form New Government

The prime minister is likely to call on the President at around 8 p.m.

Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, center, and Amit Shah, president of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), center left, celebrate during an event at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi. (Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg) 
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, center, and Amit Shah, president of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), center left, celebrate during an event at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi. (Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg) 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet President Ram Nath Kovind this evening to stake a claim to form the new government, sources said.

The prime minister is likely to call on the President at around 8 p.m. and before that. Leaders of the National Democratic Alliance NDA would meet Kovind at around 7 p.m., the sources said.

The NDA returned to power with a massive majority in the Lok Sabha elections with the BJP alone bagging 303 of total 542 seats contested. Elections were held in 542 of the 543 seats. The election in Vellore Lok Sabha seat was cancelled by the Election Commission citing abuse of money power.

Asked whether foreign dignitaries would be invited to the swearing-in ceremony, the sources said, “As of now there is no such information. We will share the details once a decision is taken.”

Modi had invited the Heads of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation nations to his swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission today called on President 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.