Gujarat Elections: Last 20 years Timeline and Present Contenders
Introduction
Since 1962, elections have been held in Gujarat to choose the members of the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha, and the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha. The state has 26 Lok Sabha districts and 182 Vidhan Sabha districts.
Major Political Parties
The two most influential parties in the state are the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Swatantra Party, Praja Socialist Party (PSP), Indian National Congress (Organisation) (NCO), Janata Party, Janata Dal, Janata Dal (Gujarat) (JDG), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP), and Trinamool Congress are additional parties that have previously had significant influence (TMC).
Present Status
Gujarat will hold two legislative assembly elections from December 1 to 5, 2022, to choose the 182 members of the state’s 15th legislature. On December 8, 2022, the votes will be tallied, and the results will be announced.
The Indian National Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party are the primary opponents of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been in power in the state since 1998.
The 14th Gujarat Legislative Assembly’s term is set to expire on February 18, 2023. In December 2017, there were elections for the previous assembly. Vijay Rupani was appointed chief minister after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the state government.
On September 11, 2021, Vijay Rupani announced his resignation as chief minister. Bhupendra Patel took over as the new chief minister.
Since the most recent assembly elections, numerous by-elections have been held, with the BJP winning the majority to increase their representation from 99 to 112 seats.
Loksabha Elections
| Year | Lok Sabha Election | Party-wise Details | |
| 1962 | Third Lok Sabha | Total: 22. Congress: 16, Swatantra Party: 4, PSP: 1, NJP: 1 | |
| 1967 | Fourth Lok Sabha | Total: 24. Swatantra Party: 12, Congress: 11, Independent:1 | |
| 1971 | Fifth Lok Sabha | Total: 24. Congress: 11, NCO: 11, Swatantra Party: 2 | |
| 1977 | Sixth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. Janata Party/BLD: 16, Congress: 10 | |
| 1980 | Seventh Lok Sabha | Total: 26. Congress: 25, Janata Party: 1 | |
| 1984 | Eighth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. Congress: 24, BJP: 1, Janata Party: 1 | |
| 1989 | Ninth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 12, JD: 11, Congress: 3 | |
| 1991 | Tenth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 20, Congress: 5, JD(G): 1 | |
| 1996 | Eleventh Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 16, Congress: 10 | |
| 1998 | Twelfth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 19, Congress: 7 | |
| 1999 | Thirteenth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 20, Congress: 6 | |
| 2004 | Fourteenth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 14, Congress: 12 | |
| 2009 | Fifteenth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 15, Congress: 11 | |
| 2014 | Sixteenth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 26, Congress: 0 | |
| 2019 | Seventeenth Lok Sabha | Total: 26. BJP: 26, Congress: 0 |
Up until 1960, Gujarat was a part of the former Bombay State.
Vidansabha Elections
| Year | Vidhan Sabha Election | Party-wise Details | Chief Minister | Party | |
| 1962 | Second Assembly | Total: 154. INC: 113, Swatantra: 26, PSP:7, NJP: 1, IND: 7 | • Jivraj Narayan Mehta • Balwantrai Mehta • Hitendra Desai | INC | |
| 1967 | Third Assembly | Total: 168. INC: 93, Swatantra: 66, PSP: 3, BJS: 1, IND: 5 | • Hitendra Kanaiyalal Desai | NCO | |
| 1972 | Fourth Assembly | Total: 168. INC: 140, NCO: 16, BJS: 3, CPI: 1, IND: 8 | • Ghanshyam Oza • Chimanbhai Patel | INC | |
| 1975 | Fifth Assembly | Total: 182. INC: 75, NCO: 56, BJS: 18, KLP: 12, SP: 2, BLD: 2, RMP: 1, IND: 16 | • Babubhai J. Patel • Madhav Singh Solanki • Babubhai J. Patel | NCOINCJP | |
| 1980 | Sixth Assembly | Total: 182. INC: 141, JNP(JP): 21, JNP(SC): 1, BJP: 9, IND: 10 | • Madhav Singh Solanki | INC | |
| 1985 | Seventh Assembly | Total: 182. INC: 149, JP: 14, BJP: 11, IND: 8 | • Madhav Singh Solanki • Amarsinh Chaudhary • Madhav Singh Solanki | INC | |
| 1990 | Eighth Assembly | Total: 182. JD: 70, BJP: 67, INC: 33, YVP: 1, IND: 11 | • Chimanbhai Patel • Chhabildas Mehta | JD/JD(G)/INCINC | |
| 1995 | Ninth Assembly | Total: 182. BJP: 121, INC: 45, IND: 16 | • Keshubhai Patel • Suresh Mehta • Shankersinh Vaghela • Dilip Parikh | BJP RJP | |
| 1998 | Tenth Assembly | Total: 182. BJP: 117, INC: 53, RJP: 4, JD: 4, SP: 1, IND: 3 | • Keshubhai Patel • Narendra Modi | BJP | |
| 2002 | Eleventh Assembly | Total: 182. BJP: 127, INC: 51, JD(U): 2, IND: 2 | • Narendra Modi | BJP | |
| 2007 | Twelfth Assembly | Total: 182. BJP: 117, INC: 59, NCP: 3, JD(U): 1, IND: 2 | • Narendra Modi | BJP | |
| 2012 | Thirteenth Assembly | Total: 182. BJP: 115, INC: 61, NCP: 2, GPP: 2, JD(U): 1, IND: 1 | • Narendra Modi • Anandiben Patel • Vijay Rupani | BJP | |
| 2017 | Fourteenth Assembly | Total: 182. BJP: 99, INC: 78, BTP: 2, NCP: 1, IND: 2 | • Vijay Rupani • Bhupendrabhai Patel | BJP |
Since 1962, elections have been held for the Gujarat Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha).
Issues
Alcohol
Alcohol and drug use became a campaign issue in 2022 Gujarat after toxic liquor deaths claimed the lives of 50 people. Congress demanded that the high court judge in the office look into Gujarat’s illicit alcohol trade. Rahul Gandhi, a former leader of the Congress, publicly questioned which “ruling forces” were “protecting these mafias.” Gopal Italia, the state president of the AAP, had called for a CBI investigation into the incident.
Drugs
2,988.22 kilograms (6,587.9 lb) of heroin were found in two containers that had arrived at Mundra Port from Bandar Abbas in Iran in September 2021. A shipment of semi-processed talc stones coming from Afghanistan was heroin. In May and July 2022, 52 kg and 75 kg of drugs were seized from the port in a repeat of the incident. Notably, Gautam Adani, the creator of the Adani Group and an ally of Narendra Modi, owned the Mundra Port.
Corruption
On December 12, 2021, a written exam for hiring head clerks was held. There were 186 openings, and 88,000 applicants applied. Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board administered the test (GSSSB). Asit Vora, a BJP leader who served as the GSSSB chairman, is allegedly the brains behind this, according to the INC. A total of 36 people, including the alleged mastermind Tushar Mer, were detained in the case from Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, and Sabarkantha.
Agriculture
To save standing crops, thousands of farmers from all over Gujarat are protesting in March at their local taluka and district offices.
Unemployment
According to a survey by ABP News, unemployment is Gujarat’s biggest problem. The state’s unemployment rate has been rising steadily. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) quarterly bulletin, Gujarat had one of the lowest rates of urban unemployment. [84] According to estimates from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) – April-June 2022 bulletin, Gujarat had a lower unemployment rate than the national average at 3.3%.
Conclusion
The Bharatiya Janata Party, has been elected to a majority in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and has held that position since 1995. 111 BJP members make up the majority in the 14th Gujarat Assembly, which is currently in session.
