The Union Cabinet on Tuesday night decided to advise the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha on February 6.
After a short Cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the dissolution would follow the approval of the railways and general vote-on-account by Parliament.
Swaraj said she, Vajpayee, his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani and National Democratic Alliance convenor George Fernandes called on President A P J Abdul Kalam and handed over the Cabinet's authorisation letter for the dissolution of the Lok sabha and recommendation for the vote-on-account.
"The President gave us his good wishes," she said.
While the vote-on-account for the railways is scheduled to be passed on January 30, the general vote-on-account is expected to be approved on February 3.
She made it clear that no taxes could be imposed through a vote- on-account. The government had last sought a vote-on-account in 1998.
