Ahmedabad, Dec 25: Narendra Modi will today be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a third time at 12:50 p. m. at Sardar Patel Stadium in Gandhinagar.

Modi will be sworn in by Governor Naval Kishore Sharma.

Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled to take place on December 27. But it was re-scheduled in view of the birthday of senior BJP leader A B Vajpayee.

Modi was unanimously elected as the leader of the Gujarat BJP Legislature Party on Monday.

Modi met Governor Nawal Kishor Sharma and submitted his resignation. The Governor dissolved the present Assembly and asked him to continue as the 'care-taker' Chief Minister till the new government is formed.

The BJP registered a thumping victory by winning in 117 seats, ten less from its 2002 figure. The Congress on the other hand managed to win 59 assembly seats.

Modi registered a thumping victory in the Maninagar Assembly constituency by defeating Congress' candidate and Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dinsha Patel by 87, 000 votes.

Modi became Gujarat's Chief Minister in October 2001, promoted to that office when his predecessor Keshubhai Patel resigned, following the defeat of the BJP in by-elections.

He was re-elected in December 2002 as chief minister with 126 seats in the 182-member assembly.

His term has been both attacked for mismanagement of and complicity in the 2002 Gujarat violence, and praised for being an excellent administrator who turned Gujarat into an economic powerhouse. (ANI)