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Gujarat BJP MLAs Likely To Choose New Chief Minister On Friday 

BJP MLAs of Gujarat are likely to meet in Gandhinagar on Dec. 22 to elect their leader.

File photo of Narendra Modi addressing an election campaign rally in Kalol, Gujarat.  (Photographer: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI)
File photo of Narendra Modi addressing an election campaign rally in Kalol, Gujarat.  (Photographer: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI)

The newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party legislators of Gujarat are likely to meet in Gandhinagar on Dec. 22 to elect their leader who would be the next chief minister of the key western state, party sources said.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley and party General Secretary Saroj Pandey, who have been appointed central observers for the election, will hold consultations with the members of the Legislative Assembly before the new chief minister is announced.

Though incumbent Vijay Rupani continues to be the favourite for the coveted job, there is speculation about his continuance given the BJP’s narrow victory in its bastion

The BJP has 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, seven more than the 92 required for forming the government, but its lowest in a long time. The Congress and its pre-poll allies have 80 seats.

BJP President Amit Shah had said during the campaign that the elections would be fought under Rupani. Since Modi was the face of the BJP in the keenly fought electoral battle, a last minute change cannot be completely ruled out, sources said.

Many in the party wonder if the top leadership would go for somebody from the Patidar community, as the party prepares for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Though the Patidars have traditionally backed the BJP, a section led by young community leader Hardik Patel turned against the party over the quota issue.