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nuclearscientistandisregardedasthefatherofIndianmissiledevelopment.Hereplacedthevery
highlyregardedandindependentPresidentNarayanan.
Inthestateelectionsatthebeginningof2002theBJPdidcomparativelybadly.Itdidnotwinin
UttaranchalandwasforcedintothirdplaceinUttarPradesh,theelectoralcoreofIndia.InPunjabthe
CongressbeatitanditsallytheAkaliDal(SAD).CongressalsowoninManipur.InOctober2002,
freeelectionswereheldinthestateofJammuandKashmirandtherulingNationalConference,a
memberoftheNDA,wasdefeated.Althoughtheelectionswerenotfreefromviolenceand
intimidation,thefactthattheyreturnedanewgovernmentandthattheoldgovernmentstepped
downwasseenasapositivedevelopmentforthestabilityofthecountry.TheCongressPartyreceived
alargernumberofseats(20)comparedtoitscoalitionpartner,thePeoplesDemocraticParty(PDP).
IncoalitionnegotiationsitallowedthePDPelectedfromtheKashmirValleytotakethechief
ministership.
Reversingtheelectoraltrendofmuchof2002,intheGujaratstateelectionsofDecember2002(held
afterthegenocidalviolenceofMarch),theBJPperformedstrongly,winning127outofthe182seats.
Itrepeatedthisperformanceatstateelectionsheldinlate2003inthelargeandimportantstatesof
Rajasthan,MadhyaPradesh,andChhattisgarh.ThemoreaccommodativeattitudetakenbytheIndian
governmenttotheKashmirdisputehasmeantthatrelationsbetweenIndiaandPakistanhave
thawed,andinlate2003thetwocountriesstartedpursuingtalksabouttalks.
AA
TheElectionofManmohanSingh
Theparliamentaryelectionofthespringof2004wasstaggered,with13statesvotingonApril20,
followedbyfurthervotingonApril26,May5,andwiththefinalroundonMay10.Earlyindications
fromexitpollssuggestedthatCongress,ledbySoniaGandhi,wasmakingsignificantgains,aswere
someoftheregionalparties.ThefinalresulthadCongresswinning145seatsagainsttheBJPs138.In
asurprisemoveSoniaGandhiturneddownthepositionofprimeminister;instead,ManmohanSingh,
aformerfinanceminister,wasappointedthecountrysfirstSikhprimeminister.Heleadsacoalition
ofparties.
OnDecember26,2004,anunderseaearthquakemeasuring9.1ontheRichterscaleoccurredinthe
IndianOcean.Thethirdlargestearthquakeinrecordedhistorygeneratedamassivetsunami,which
causedwidespreaddevastationwhenithitland.IndiasworstaffectedregionwastheAndamanand
NicobarIslandsintheBayofBengal.ThesouthernmostNicobarIslandswereclosesttotheepicentre
oftheearthquake,whichgeneratedwavesmorethan15m(50ft)high.Oftheestimated250,000
peoplekilledintheIndianOceanregion,theAndamanandNicobarslostaround2,000,withanother
5,500orsopeoplepresumedmissing.
OtherIndianregionsaffectedincludedKerala,Puducherry,AndhraPradesh,and,mostseverely,Tamil
Nadu.Earlyestimatesplacedthemainlanddeathtollataround9,000,withanother3.5millionpeople
beinglefthomeless,displaced,orinneedoffood.
InFebruary2005theIndianandPakistaniauthoritiesagreedtocommenceabusservicebetweenthe
townsofSrinagarandMuzaffarabad,givingKashmiristheopportunitytocrosstheceasefirelinefor