New Delhi Feb 24 (IANS): Exactly 22 years ago on this day, the electoral journey of Prime Minister Narendra Modi began. It was on February 24, 2002 when PM Modi stepped into the Gujarat Assembly as an MLA for the first time. His victory in the by-election from Rajkot II assembly constituency was quite impressive. He had won the election by a margin of 14,728 votes.

It was seen as the defining moment in PM Modi’s political career which continued to soar higher and higher with the passage of time. He was already chief minister of Gujarat four months before being elected as an MLA from Rajkot II constituency. He continued to serve the state of Gujarat as chief minister till he was elected Prime Minister in 2014.

‘Modi Archive’ on X has proudly shared a video of PM Modi’s address in his constituency soon after being elected as MLA for the first time. The X handle has shared snippets that take party workers and the state of Gujarat down to memory lane when ‘Brand Modi’ was in the making.

“I had requested the residents of Rajkot to hold me tightly and not let go. They gave me marks of distinction.” These were the words of PM Modi on being elected as an MLA for the first time. Modi was addressing a gathering of people in his constituency. This was the beginning of the electoral history of PM Modi. He served as the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014.

Later that year in 2002 elections, Modi contested from Maninagar and won. He was reelected from Maninagar in 2007 and 2012 representing the constituency till 2014 when he became the Prime Minister.

Needless to say, his victory from Rajkot II for the first time in a by-election marked the dawn of a promising era for India and the world. As CM, Modi ensured speedy reconstruction and development of Gujarat which was ravaged by massive earthquakes then.

Narendra Modi’s electoral success in Rajkot demonstrated his skills in political management and mobilisation of party cadres during the elections. He managed to boost morale of the party workers at a time when the BJP fortunes were at their lowest ebb during the reign of Keshubhai Patel. He was the brain behind many electoral strategies and slogans that paved the way for the BJP’s massive comeback at the central political stage in the 1990s.