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Jaitley said the decision was taken at a meeting of BJP leaders, including caretaker Chief Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor Keshubhai Patel.
"Keshubhai Patel will kick off the election campaign," Jaitley said adding that the venue will be announced later.
He said nearly 20 central BJP leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Information Technology Pramod Mahajan, Coal Minister Uma Bharti and Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi will address rallies in various constituencies from November 30.
The poll manifesto, he said, has been given final touches and will be declared on December 1.
He said "safety and security" will be the key issue for the December 12 assembly polls.
Jaitley said Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's reference to Gujarat along with Kashmir in his speech at the UN recently indicated that "the border state of Gujarat is likely to be prime target for cross-border terrorism".
"Terrorism has already reared its ugly head in Gujarat and therefore the security of masses becomes more important," he said referring to the attack on the Akshardham temple.
The Election in Gujarat: The Complete Coverage
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