New Delhi, Feb 06: The Lok Sabha was on Friday dissolved, paving the way for early general elections.President APJ Abdul Kalam signed the proclamation dissolving the House accepting the Cabinet recommendation.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called on the President yesterday to recommend dissolution of the House. The PM apprised him of the proceedings in Parliament which completed the constitutional requirements relating to the passing of votes on account (railways and general) 2004-2005 and the Finance Bill, 2004 and other exigencies of government business.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said that as necessary financial and other business have since been completed by parliament, the President has now accepted the recommendation and in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by Sub-Clause (B) of Clause (2) of Article 85 of the Constitution of India, has signed an order today dissolving the Thirteenth Lok Sabha with immediate effect.
The Prime Minister had called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 27 and conveyed the advice of the Cabinet to dissolve the 13th Lok Sabha on February 6, 2004, after completing the constitutional requirements of the passing of votes on accounts.
Accordingly, a brief five-day session of Parliament was convened from Janaury 29. The railway interim budget was introduced on January 30 and the interim general budget along with the Finance Bill was introduced on February 3.
After discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Parliament passed the same yesterday.
Now with the dissolution of the 13th Lok Sabha, eight months before the end of its term in mid-October, the stage was set for holding elections to elect 543 members to the Lower House.
The BJP and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are going for early elections, expected to be held in April-May, to cash in on the ``feel good factor,`` both economic and political.
While the country`s economy is on an upswing on the back of an 8.4 per cent GDP growth, record foreign exchange reserves and stable inflation, the BJP was also prompted by its landslide victory in the recent assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
This is the third time in a row that the BJP would be unable to complete its full five-year term in government.
The present NDA government has been in power for four years and four months, while its previous term ended in 13 months following withdrawal of support by one of the allies, the AIADMK led by Jayalalithaa. In 1996, a BJP government headed by Vajpayee was sworn in, but it had to quit office in 13 days, having failed to prove its majority on the floor of the Lok Sabha.
Bureau Report