Gujarat polls: CMs as candidates, poll by poll

Chief Minister Narendra Modi's vote share in Maninagar went down from 2002 to 2007, an aberration to a trend that has seen most Gujarat chief ministers improving on their count in successive elections. Also, of the six CMs who have had more than one term, most have preferred to stick to the seat that had elected them.

Narendra Modi

Switch, up, down

Began with 57.32 per cent in Rajkot-II in 2002, his first election, months after he had been inducted as CM replacing Keshubhai Patel. The seat had been vacated to allow him to contest. He switched to Maninagar in Ahmedabad in the 2002 polls, held in the backdrop of riots and a Hindutva wave, and swept the seat with 73.29 per cent. His margin fell to 69.53 per cent in 2007. He is contesting from the same seat a third time.

Keshubhai Patel

Visavadar, up

The veteran has contested from a record five seats starting 1975. In 1995, when he became CM for the first time, he won Visavadar with 64.34 per cent. He raised it to 73.40 in 1998 after Shankersinh Vaghela had toppled his government, kept out of polls for years and has now returned to Visavadar.

Chimanbhai Patel

Switch, up

The 1972 election made him CM; he won as a Congress candidate from Sankheda with a 67.71 per cent share. By 1990, when he became CM a second time, he had rebelled and played a key role in formation of the Janta Morcha, and had changed his seat to Unjha, winning with a thumping 86.71 per cent.

Madhavsinh Solanki

Bhadran, up & up

CM four times, elected three times from Bhadran in his home district of Bharuch. Raised his share successively from 1975 to 1980 to 1985 — 56 per cent, 75 and 79.26 — and became CM again in 1989.

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