NEW DELHI, May 25 - President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decide the council of ministers and the date of his swearing-in ceremony. The President also appointed Modi to the office of Prime Minister of India, a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
Kovind requested Modi to advise him about the names of others to be appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers and indicate the date and time of the swearing-in ceremony to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it said.
Modi was formally intimated when he called on the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening in his capacity as the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, which has majority support in the House of the People following the general election to the 17th Lok Sabha, the communique said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unanimously elected leader of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance on Saturday at a meeting attended by its newly elected MPs and senior leaders in Parliament�s Central Hall.
An NDA delegation, led by BJP president Amit Shah and comprising Parkash Singh Badal, Rajnath Singh, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, Sushma Swaraj, Uddhav Thakeray, Nitin Gadkari, K Palaniswami, Conrad Sangma and Neiphiu Rio, called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the communique said.
A letter stating that Narendra Modi has been elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party was handed over to the President, it said. �Letters of support from NDA constituent parties were also handed over to the President,� the communique said.
List of newly-elected MPs: The Election Commission on Saturday submitted a list of newly-elected MPs to President Ram Nath Kovind, an official statement said, setting in motion the process for constituting the 17th Lok Sabha.
The full Election Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, called on the President and submitted a copy of the notification issued by the EC containing names of the members.
While the EC notification sets in motion the constitution of a new Lok Sabha, the list given to the President enables him to formally initiate the government formation process. Earlier in the day, the President dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet. � PTI
