President dissolves Parliament

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam dissolved the Lok Sabha today, setting the stage for early polls. The decks for the dissolution were cleared yesterday after Parliament disposed of urgent legislative business, including the interim general and railway budgets. A Rashtrapati Bhavan release said the President signed the proclamation dissolving the 13th Lok Sabha accepting the advice of the Cabinet. 8216;8216;The Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, had called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 27, 2004, and conveyed the advice of the Cabinet to the President to dissolve the 13th Lok Sabha on February 6, 2004, after completing the constitutional requirements relating to passing of votes on account railways and general 2004-2005 and the Finance Bill, 2004,8217;8217; the release said.