Exactly 22 years ago on this day, Narendra Modi stepped into the Gujarat Assembly as an MLA for the first time. On the 24th of February 2002, began the electoral journey of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His victory in the by-election from Rajkot II assembly constituency by a margin of 14,728 votes was very impressive.
It was seen as the defining moment in PM Modi’s political career which continued to soar higher and higher with the passage of time. In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Gujarat, already he had taken over as the chief minister of Gujarat four months before being elected as an MLA from Rajkot II constituency. This victory marked the dawn of a promising new era not only for Gujarat but also for India and the world.
After being elected as an MLA for the first time, PM Modi had said and we quote - “I had requested the residents of Rajkot to hold me tightly and not let go. They gave me marks of distinction.” Modi was addressing a gathering of people in his constituency. This was the beginning of the electoral history of PM Modi, which somehow have an indirection of the ‘Brand Modi’ in the making.
Same year in 2002 during the general elections, Narendra Modi contested from Maninagar and won. He was reelected from Maninagar in 2007 and 2012 representing the constituency till 2014. He continued to serve the state of Gujarat as chief minister from 2001 to 2014 until he was elected Prime Minister in 2014. Needless to say, his victory from Rajkot II for the first time in a by-election marked the dawn of a promising era for India and the world.
As Chief Minister, Narendra Modi ensured speedy reconstruction and development of Gujarat which was ravaged by massive earthquakes then. Narendra Modi’s electoral success in Rajkot demonstrated his skills in political management and mobilisation of party cadres during the elections. He managed to boost morale of the party workers at a time when the BJP fortunes were at their lowest ebb during the reign of Keshubhai Patel. It was Narendra Modi who was the brain behind many electoral strategies and slogans that paved the way for the BJP’s massive comeback at the central political stage in the 1990s. And the rest is history.