By IANS
Gandhinagar : Narendra Modi, who took oath as Gujarat chief minister Tuesday, met Keshubhai Patel, his archrival within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and sought his blessings for the new term.
Modi surprised many when he late Tuesday drove to Patel’s residence and had a half-an-hour-long meeting with him.
BJP sources said Modi sought Patel’s blessings. In a statement Sunday, Patel had congratulated Modi for the electoral triumph.
Patel, whom Modi replaced as chief minister in October 2001, has been angry with him and been the rallying point for dissidents unhappy with the chief minister.
He had refused to vote in this month’s election after keeping away from the party’s campaign. The BJP last week served him a show-cause notice for “anti party activities”.
Meanwhile, soon after Modi left, Suresh Mehta, another former BJP chief minister who quit the party earlier this month, and Vallabhbhai Kathiriya, an MP and former central minister who has been suspended from the party for his anti-Modi stance, met Patel.
After leading the BJP to a third consecutive victory in state assembly elections, Modi was sworn in as chief minister for a third consecutive term Tuesday.