Current CM of Gujarat: Bhupendrabhai Patel (BJP)

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee: Shaktisinh Gohil

Aam Aadmi Party: Isudan Gadhvi

Samajwadi Party: Akhilesh Yadav

Nationalist Congress Party: Jayantbhai Patel Boskey

After India gained independence in 1947, the Indian National Congress (INC) ruled Bombay State, which included present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra. When Gujarat became a separate state in 1960, the Congress continued its governance but lost in 1967 to Congress (O). The INC regained power in 1972 but faced protests during the Navnirman Andolan, leading to its dissolution in 1974 and a defeat in the 1975 state elections. The Congress returned to power in 1980 and 1985 with strong majorities but was decisively defeated by the BJP and Janata Dal in 1990. Janata Dal‘s Chimanbhai Patel formed a government with BJP support, but after BJP withdrew, Patel defected to the Congress, maintaining power until his death, after which Chhabildas Mehta took over.

The BJP gained a majority in 1995 but internal conflicts led to a coalition between the Rashtriya Janata Party and Congress, marking the last time Congress held power in Gujarat. The BJP consistently won subsequent elections, with Narendra Modi becoming Chief Minister in 2001. Congress struggled to make significant gains until 2017, when it and its allies won 80 seats, a significant increase. In the 2014 general election, BJP won a majority, and Modi became Prime Minister, with Anandiben Patel succeeding him as Gujarat’s first female Chief Minister, followed by Vijay Rupani in 2016.

Vijay Rupani resigned in September 2021, and Bhupendra Patel became the new Chief Minister. In the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP won a historic 156 seats, while the Congress fell to its lowest count in three decades, and the Aam Aadmi Party gained five seats.

Lok Sabha:

Vidhan Sabha:

1962 – Second Assembly

• 1st Party: INC – 113 seats
• 2nd Party: SWP – 15 seats
• 3rd Party: PSP – 7 seats
• Others: NMGJP – 1 seat, Independents – 7 seats
• Total Seats: 154
• Chief Ministers: Jivraj Narayan Mehta, Balwantrai Mehta, Hitendra Desai
• CM’s Party: INC

1967 – Third Assembly

• 1st Party: INC – 93 seats
• 2nd Party: SWP – 66 seats
• 3rd Party: PSP – 3 seats
• Others: BJS – 1 seat, Independents – 5 seats
• Total Seats: 168
• Chief Minister: Hitendra Kanaiyalal Desai
• CM’s Party: INC(O)

1972 – Fourth Assembly

• 1st Party: INC – 140 seats
• 2nd Party: INC(O) – 16 seats
• 3rd Party: BJS – 3 seats
• Others: CPI – 1 seat, Independents – 1 seat
• Total Seats: 168
• Chief Ministers: Ghanshyam Oza, Chimanbhai Patel
• CM’s Party: INC

1975 – Fifth Assembly

• 1st Party: INC – 75 seats
• 2nd Party: INC(O) – 56 seats
• 3rd Party: BJS – 18 seats
• Others: KLP – 12 seats, BLD – 2 seats, SP – 2 seats, RMP – 1 seat, Independents – 16 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Ministers: Babubhai J. Patel (INC(O)), Madhav Singh Solanki (INC), Babubhai J. Patel (JP)
• CM’s Party: INC(O), INC, JP

1980 – Sixth Assembly

• 1st Party: INC – 141 seats
• 2nd Party: JP – 21 seats
• 3rd Party: BJP – 9 seats
• Others: JP(S) – 1 seat, Independents – 10 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Minister: Madhav Singh Solanki
• CM’s Party: INC

1985 – Seventh Assembly

• 1st Party: INC – 149 seats
• 2nd Party: JP – 14 seats
• 3rd Party: BJP – 11 seats
• Others: Independents – 8 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Ministers: Madhav Singh Solanki, Amarsinh Chaudhary, Madhav Singh Solanki
• CM’s Party: INC

1990 – Eighth Assembly

• 1st Party: JD – 70 seats
• 2nd Party: BJP – 67 seats
• 3rd Party: INC – 33 seats
• Others: YVP – 1 seat, Independents – 11 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Ministers: Chimanbhai Patel (JD, INC), Chhabildas Mehta
• CM’s Party: JD, INC

1995 – Ninth Assembly

• 1st Party: BJP – 121 seats
• 2nd Party: INC – 45 seats
• 3rd Party: Independents – 16 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Ministers: Keshubhai Patel, Suresh Mehta, Shankersinh Vaghela (RJP), Dilip Parikh
• CM’s Party: BJP, RJP

1998 – Ninth Assembly

• 1st Party: BJP – 117 seats
• 2nd Party: INC – 53 seats
• 3rd Party: RJP – 4 seats
• Others: JD – 4 seats, SP – 1 seat, Independents – 3 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Ministers: Keshubhai Patel, Narendra Modi
• CM’s Party: BJP

2002 – Tenth Assembly

• 1st Party: BJP – 127 seats
• 2nd Party: INC – 51 seats
• 3rd Party: JD(U) – 2 seats
• Others: Independents – 2 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Minister: Narendra Modi
• CM’s Party: BJP

2007 – Eleventh Assembly

• 1st Party: BJP – 117 seats
• 2nd Party: INC – 59 seats
• 3rd Party: NCP – 3 seats
• Others: JD(U) – 1 seat, Independents – 2 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Minister: Narendra Modi
• CM’s Party: BJP

2012 – Twelfth Assembly

• 1st Party: BJP – 115 seats
• 2nd Party: INC – 61 seats
• 3rd Party: GPP – 2 seats
• Others: NCP – 2 seats, JD(U) – 1 seat, Independents – 1 seat
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Ministers: Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani
• CM’s Party: BJP

2017 – Thirteenth Assembly

• 1st Party: BJP – 99 seats
• 2nd Party: INC – 78 seats
• 3rd Party: BTP – 2 seats
• Others: NCP – 1 seat, Independents – 2 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Ministers: Vijay Rupani, Bhupendrabhai Patel
• CM’s Party: BJP

2022 – Fourteenth Assembly

• 1st Party: BJP – 156 seats
• 2nd Party: INC – 17 seats
• 3rd Party: AAP – 5 seats
• Others: SP – 1 seat, Independents – 2 seats
• Total Seats: 182
• Chief Minister: Bhupendrabhai Patel
• CM’s Party: BJP

Political Parties:

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Indian National Congress (INC)
• Aam Aadmi Party

Historically Influential Parties:

• Swatantra Party
• Praja Socialist Party (PSP)
• Indian National Congress (Organisation) (NCO)
• Janata Party
• Janata Dal
• Janata Dal (Gujarat) (JDG)
• Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP)