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AHMEDABAD, India, Sunday (AFP) The chief minister of India's riot-scarred Gujarat state is due to be sworn in Sunday at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, officials said.

Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and other senior leaders of the ruling BJP party are expected to be at the event in Ahmedabad, Gujarat's commercial capital.

The BJP romped to overwhelming victory in state elections last week, snaring a surprise two-thirds majority with 126 seats in the 182-member assembly.

The party had campaigned openly on the plank of Hindutva, which means the Hindu way of life but is used to define the BJP's form of right wing Hindu fundamentalism.

Led by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the party unashamedly capitalised on the rioting sparked by the burning to death of 58 Hindu pilgrims and activists on a train on February 27 in the town of Godhra, allegedly by a mob of Muslims.

Muslims were the main victims of the ensuing widespread communal violence which, according to human rights groups, left up to 2,000 people dead.

It is expected that the BJP could repeat the electoral tactics from Gujarat in other state elections due next year, as well as general elections due in 2004.

"It will be a grand yet simple function and will be attended by the prime minister, deputy prime minister, BJP General Secretary Venkaiah Naidu and host of other senior leaders," Health Minister Ashok Bhatt said.

"Modi's swearing-in ceremony will be very different from of any other CM's (chief minister's) swearing-in function in the past."

BJP official Jayantibhai Barot said he expected a huge crowd to be at the ceremony at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad.

"Since Modi is very popular, we are expecting more than 100,000 people for the function. The stadium is big enough to accommodate all of them," he said.

Chief ministers of other states will also be present, as well as a number of film stars, he said.

Around 1,000 policemen had been deployed at the stadium and other venues including the airport to ensure security for the VIPs.

"We have deployed around 1,000 central reserve policemen at various points and local policemen, along with traffic police will be supervising the crowds on the road," said J.N. Rajgor, Deputy Commissioner of Police in Ahmedabad.

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