Sunday, November 27 2005 19:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party meeting will be held here tomorrow (Nov 28, 2005) to formally elect state party president Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its leader paving way for him to become the Chief Minister.

The meeting will take place in the presence of party observers and general secretaries Arun Jaitley, Pramod Mahajan and Rajnath Singh, party sources said today (Nov 27, 2005).

Soon after the meeting, Chouhan is likely to call on Governor Balram Jakhar to stake his claims for forming the Government, they said adding he is expected to be sworn in on November 29.

Preparations were on in full swing to accord a grand welcome to Chouhan, who is expected to arrive here in the afternoon ahead of the evening's legislature party meeting, sources said.

Ignoring firebrand leader Uma Bharti's claim for the top post, BJP Central Parliamentary Board had yesterday (Nov 26,2005) announced Chauhan's appointment as the next Chief Minister replacing Babulal Gaur.

The meeting, attended among others by former Prime Minsiter Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Party President L K Advani, had also sought to placate Bharti by appointing her as BJP General Secretary.

An OBC like Bharti, 46-year-old Chauhan would be one of the youngest Chief Ministers of the country.