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182 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat 92 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 61.54% (![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2002 Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections were held in December 2002; they necessitated by the resignation of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the dissolution of the legislative assembly in July 2002, 8 months before its term was due to expire. Modi resigned due to widespread allegations that he had taken insufficient action to prevent the riots that took place a few months earlier. The Bharatiya Janata Party was led by Modi, with the Indian National Congress being the chief opposition.
As a result of those communal riots, a major issue in the election was the place of Muslims in Gujarati society. Seeking to capitalize on the sentiments stirred up by the riots caused by burning of a train coach containing Hindu kar sevaks (including children) coming from Ayodhya.[2][3][4]
The legislative assembly of Gujarat is elected from 182 constituencies, which were contested by a total of 21 parties and several hundred independent candidates. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 127 seats, thus achieving an absolute majority in the assembly. Modi was sworn in for a second term as chief minister.
the successful anti-Muslim campaign run in Gujarat in December 2002 by its provincial chief minister Narendra Modi – a hardline Hindu nationalist preacher turned politician – has ominous implicitions.
December 2002, the BJP – led by Narendra Modi, who conducted a vicious campaign, making many stridently anti-Muslim statements
In the campaign, Modi fused religion and politics and, as a spur to anti-Muslim sentiment, made Islamic terrorism and its ties to Pakistan a central plank in the BJP platform" etc