Narendra Modi@75: The prime minister who has not lost a single election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of those few leaders who have never lost an election in their political career.

In more than five decades of career, Modi has managed Ahmedabad municipal elections for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1987, led the party in Gujarat assembly elections of 2002, ‘07, and ‘12, and spearheaded the campaign for the BJP and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in ‘14, ‘19, and ‘24.

In all of these elections, Modi secured victories for his political party and coalitions.

Personally, Modi has contested eight elections, four state assembly elections and four parliamentary elections, and he has won all of them.

1987 Ahmedabad municipal elections

Soon after joining the BJP after working at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for many years, Modi was entrusted with managing the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). That proved to be the first test of his political organisation.

Under his leadership, the BJP ran a carefully planned campaign, pursued grassroot mobilisation, and relied on Modi’s oratory kills to contest the elections. The party won two-thirds of seats.

The AMC victory did not just give the BJP a foothold in the heart of Gujarat but also established Modi as an able politician.

“Moreover, the victory in Ahmedabad symbolized a broader shift in Gujarat’s political landscape, with the BJP emerging as a dominant force in the state under Modi’s stewardship. The historic win served as a precursor to the BJP’s burgeoning influence in Gujarat and set the stage for its remarkable electoral journey in the years to come,” Anurag Kumar noted in an article for Times Now.

2002 Gujarat bypoll

After being appointed as the Chief Minister of Gujarat mid-term the previous year, Modi contested and won the bypoll for Rajkot II constituency in February 2002.

Modi defeated his nearest rival, Ashwin Mehta of Congress, by a margin of more than 14,700 votes.

2002, ‘07, ‘12 Gujarat assembly elections

In 2002 Gujarat assembly elections later that year, Modi contested and won from the Maninagar seat in Ahmedabad by a margin of over 75,000 votes.

Modi retained the Maninagar assembly seat in Gujarat assembly elections in 2007 and ‘12 as he won three straight terms as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

2014, ‘19, ‘24 Lok Sabha elections

By 2014, three consecutive assembly election victories had established Modi as one of the most popular politicians in the country. As parties began preparing for the 2014 election, Modi’s name began to do rounds as the potential prime ministerial candidates of the BJP and BJP-led NDA.

In June 2013, the BJP named Modi as the chief of the 2014 election campaign. Later that year, in September, he was named as the prime ministerial candidate.

In 2014, Modi contested Lok Sabha elections from Vadodara and Varanasi seats and won both of them. He vacated the Vadodara seat in favour of Varanasi.

In 2019 and ‘24, Modi retained the Varanasi seat as he led the BJP and NDA to victories in consecutive elections.

In 2024, Modi became only the second Prime Minister of India after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to be elected to a third straight term.