The Hindu : Modi to stake claim today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2002

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Modi to stake claim today

By Our Special Correspondent

GANDHINAGAR DEC. 17. The Gujarat Chief Minister-designate, Narendra Modi, will lead a BJP delegation to the Governor, Sunder Singh Bhandari, here tomorrow to formally stake claim to form a Ministry in the State.

The BJP, which won more than a two-thirds majority in the December 12 elections, unanimously elected Mr. Modi as leader of the legislature party on Monday.

Official sources said the swearing-in on December 22 was likely to be held at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad instead of Gandhinagar as originally planned. The change in venue was to enable the large number of Modi supporters to witness the ceremony.

The BJP also decided to nominate Bhavnaben Chapatwala, wife of the deceased Minister of State, Hemmant Chapatwala, for the election to the Surat West seat, scheduled to be held on January 9. Election for the seat was countermanded following the death of the BJP nominee, Chapatwala, couple of days before the polling.

Cong. meeting

The 51-member Congress Legislature Party would hold its first meeting here on Thursday to review the election outcome and elect the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Party sources said the former pradesh Congress president, Amarsinh Chaudhary, was likely to be re-elected to the post, particularly after most of its senior leaders who could have staked claims for the post, were routed in the elections. The PCC president, Shankarsinh Waghela, will preside over the meeting, which would be attended by the AICC secretary, Suresh Pachauri, as central observer.

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Modi to stake claim today