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ELECTIONS '96

Patel will be sworn-in as Gujarat CM

Former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel will be formally elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party legislature party at a meeting of its newly-elected legislators in Gandhinagar on March 4, BJP secretary Narendra Modi said.

As the counting enters the last stage, the party is heading towards an absolute majority -- of the 132 seats for which results are available, the BJP has already bagged 72 seats. There are 182 seats in the assembly.

The Congress has captured 40 seats while Shankarsinh Vaghela's Rashtriya Janata Party is trailing far behind with just four seats.

Modi, who is in charge of the party's campaign in Gujarat, said its legislators would meet at 1000 hours. BJP spokesman and general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu would be the central party observer at the meeting.

Modi said Patel was expected to be sworn-in as the new chief minister on Wednesday evening. He said Patel alone would take the oath of office on March 4. He would form his council of ministers after the Holi festival.

After the 1995 assembly election, wherein the BJP got 121 seats, Patel had assumed the chief ministership of the state. He relinquished office after Vaghela revolted against his leadership. He was then replaced by Suresh Mehta.

This election, the BJP had projected Patel as its chief ministerial candidate.

Elections '98

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