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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

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