Preparations for Sunday's swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi as Gujarat's new chief minister are on with strict security arrangements being made for the visiting dignitaries, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani.
Besides Vajpayee and Advani, several Union ministers, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, movie stars and over 100,000 people are expected to attend the function to be held at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad at 1300 hours (IST), sources said.
For the first time in Indian history, the prime minister will be attending the swearing in ceremony of a state chief minister.
Huge television screens will be installed in the stadium for viewers. Besides, various television channels will also telecast it live. Nearly 600 reporters from the state, national and international press will cover the event, an official release said.
This is the first time that the ceremony is being held outside the state capital, Gandhinagar. The venue was shifted to allow the electorate of Maninagar to participate in the ceremony. Modi won with a margin of over 75,000 votes in Maninagar.
BJP won 126 seats in the state assembly election in Gujarat. Modi hinted at a 'token' Cabinet after he staked his claim to form the government. He will later expand it after a short assembly session.
Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, former chief ministers Prakash Singh Badal and Farooq Abdullah, film stars Hema Malini, Juhi Chawla, Shekhar Suman, and actor-turned politician and Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Vinod Khanna will attend the ceremony.
