This Day, 21 Years Ago: When Gujarat First Got ‘Ab Ki Baar, Modi Sarkar’

October 7, 2001 — This was the day Narendra Modi was first sworn in as the chief minister of Gujarat, paving the way for his journey as the Prime Minister.

After winning a clear majority, the state governor on October 4, 2001 invited Gujarat CM-designate Narendra Modi to form the government.

After taking oath as the CM of Gujarat, Modi concluded his speech with a rousing chant of ‘Bharat Mata Ni Jay’. He then stepped down from the podium and drove an open jeep into the crowd amid drums, bugles and chants of ‘Apanu Gujarat, Agavu Gujarat’.

He was appointed as the Gujarat CM in view of Keshubhai Patel’s failing health.

After joining office, Modi began engaging the bureaucracy in a tech-savvy manner — video conferencing with at least 10 collectors on day 1.

The swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi was also broadcast live on the web.

Almost four months after being sworn-in, Modi contested his first-ever election on the popular ballot. He won and entered the Gujarat Assembly for the first time.

Modi went on to become the longest serving chief minister of Gujarat, with three terms from 2001 to 2014.

In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Modi as its prime ministerial candidate and won 282 seats.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 386 seats of the 543 total Lok Sabha seats.

The BJP, under Modi, bettered its tally in last year’s general election and secured 303 seats.

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