PM to meet president to form new government

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister-elect Manmohan Singh will formally seek on Wednesday the approval of the president to form a government, a party spokesman said.

Singh and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi have been meeting allies to secure a parliamentary majority and draw up a cabinet after their sweeping election victory on Saturday.

Singh's coalition was just 10 seats short of a parliamentary majority and it was expected to easily attract new allies, boosting hopes of a stable government just as growth in Asia's third largest economy has slowed to a six-year-low.

Singh is due to meet President Pratibha Patil at 5 p.m. local (1130 GMT).

The coalition was strengthened on Tuesday after Mayawati, the powerful leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party representing the lower castes, pledged her support for the new coalition.