Though BJP leaders are silent on the matter, reliable sources in the party said the appointment of Bhatt is almost certain. While state BJP chief Purushottam Rupala could not be contacted despite several attempts, state party spokesman Vijay Rupani skirted the issue saying, "It is the prerogative of the party and the chief minister to elect or appoint the Speaker."

Even Bhatt was reluctant to talk when asked if he had been given any hint about his appointment as Speaker after being dropped from the ministry. He said, "I don't want to comment. Only party president (Purushottam) Rupalaji is competent to comment on it," Bhatt said.

But sources said the candidature of Bhatt for the post is final. "As far as I know, there is no other name for the post of Speaker. As far as I see, the appointment of Bhatt is almost a reality," a senior party leader close to Modi said on the condition of anonymity.

If elected, Bhatt would be the 14th Speaker of the Assembly since 1960 when the state came into existence. Babubhai Patel was the 13th Speaker.

Bhatt, who has been representing the Khadia Assembly constituency for the last 40 years, was dropped from the State Cabinet last week when Chief Minister Narendra Modi formed his ministry.

In the previous government, Bhatt held important portfolios of Parliamentary Affairs and Health and Family Planning. He was considered among the closest of the BJP leaders to the chief minister, as, besides his seniority, he has been privy to a lot of information pertaining to the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

Sources also said that BJP MLA from Valsad, Daulatbhai Desai, would be administered the oath of pro-tem Speaker at 10 am on January 16 at Raj Bhawan by Governor Naval Kishore Sharma. At 12 pm, the pro-tem Speaker will administer oath to legislators at the Assembly.

Desai confirmed that he had been communicated this information. It will be the fifth appointment of Desai as a pro-tem Speaker. His first appointment was made in 1990 when the BJP had shared power with Chimanbhai Patel as chief minister. Since then, he has been appointed as the pro-tem Speaker after every Assembly poll. This is sixth consecutive term as MLA for the 78-year-old leader, who first got elected as legislator on a Congress ticket in 1985. He is the eldest of all the legislators in the state.