Modi@25: No Indian Leader Has Governed This Long, This Consistently, Or With This Mandate

Sanbeer Singh Ranhotra

Modi started with a damaged state party in a state recovering from a natural disaster and proceeded to build, through elections, the largest political organisation in the world

Let’s start with Keshubhai Patel, because the story makes no sense without him.

Patel was Gujarat’s Chief Minister in January 2001 when the earthquake hit Bhuj and killed roughly 25,000 people. What followed — the slow relief effort, the accusations of mismanagement, the by-election losses — finished him politically.

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By October, the BJP’s central leadership had run out of patience. They wanted someone who could go into the December 2002 state election and win it. The man they picked had never contested a single election in his life. He had spent two decades doing RSS groundwork and BJP organisational work across the country, which is not the same thing as governing, and everyone knew it. LK Advani reportedly had reservations. The offer on the table was apparently for him to serve as deputy CM — a softer landing. He turned it down. Full responsibility or nothing. They gave him full responsibility.

He was sworn in on October 7, 2001, without a legislative seat. He won one in a by-election in February 2002.........

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