Kammala wannan jumla: A shekara ta 2001, lafiyar Keshubhai Patel na ta kasawa kuma jam'iyyar BJP ta rasa 'yan kujerun majalisar dokokin jihar a zaben fidda gwani. An yi zargin cin zarafin iko, cin hanci da rashawa da kuma rashin kulawar gwamnati, kuma an lalata sunan Patel ta hanyar gudanar da gwamnatinsa.
girgizar kasa a Bhuj a shekara ta 2001. Shugabannin BJP na kasa sun nemi sabon dan takara don babban minista, kuma an zabi Modi, wanda ya nuna shakku game da gwamnatin Patel, a matsayin wanda zai maye gurbinsa. Kodayake shugaban jam'iyyar BJP L. K. Advani ba ya son yin watsi da Patel kuma ya damu da rashin kwarewar Modi a cikin gwamnati, Modi ya ƙi tayin zama mataimakin babban ministan Patel, yana gaya wa Advani da Atal Bihari Vajpayee cewa "zai kasance mai cikakken alhakin Gujarat ko kuma ba komai". A ranar 3 ga Oktoba 2001 ya maye gurbin Patel a matsayin Babban Ministan Gujarat, tare da alhakin shirya BJP don zaɓen Disamba na 2002. An rantsar da Modi a matsayin Babban Minista a ranar 7 ga Oktoba 2001, kuma ya shiga majalisar dokokin jihar Gujarat a ranar 24 ga Fabrairun 2002 ta hanyar lashe zaben fidda gwani a mazabar Rajkot <unk> II, inda ya kayar da Ashwin Mehta na INC da kuri'u 14,728.