Looking Back At Amit Shah's Journey From Campaign Manager To India's Home Minister

Under the current party in power, Amit Anilchandra Shah, the Minister of Home Affairs, has come a long way in his political career. Shah is also the first Minister of Co-operation and has served as the President of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2014 to 2020 while being the President of the National Democratic Alliance.

The businessman-turned-politician is famously known as the 'Chanakya' of modern politics and has played an instrumental role in BJP's journey to victory several times. Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged Shah's contribution to the country's development and praised his enthusiasm for working for the nation on his 57th birthday.

Joined RSS At The Young Age Of 14

Shah's journey dates back to his childhood since he has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Shah was always inspired by true patriots and greatly influenced by the nationalist vision of RSS, and became an active member of the organization at the age of 14. At 18, the young nationalist joined the student wing of RSS, that is Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and around the same time, he met Narendra Modi. In 1986, Shah became the President of ABVP and joined the youth wing of BJP, called Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).

After Shah joined the BJP, his goal-oriented approach garnered him much praise. Eventually, it led to him holding the centre position in organizing election campaigns for BJP stalwarts like LK Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and of course, Narendra Modi. In fact, in the early 2000s, when Modi decided to contest his first assembly election in Rajkot, Amit Shah's appointment as the campaign chief came as no surprise.

Handled 12 Portfolios In Gujarat

To begin his political career in full pace, Shah contested the 2002 Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections in 2002 and emerged as one of the most crucial leaders under Modi's stint as the Gujarat Chief Minister. Shah's popularity grew manifold in Gujarat, and at one point, he was handling 12 portfolios, which included home, law and justice, prison, border security, civil defence, excise, transport, prohibition, home guards, gram rakshak dal, police housing, and legislative and parliamentary affairs. He was also famous for several ministerial initiatives like setting up foreign laboratories and strengthening the coastal police at the Gujarat Port.

Won 73 Of 80 Seats In Uttar Pradesh

Amit Shah's political career reached newer heights as Modi started eyeing the most critical position in the country. Shah was appointed as the party in charge of the most promising state for BJP, Uttar Pradesh. Quite true to Amit Shah's credentials, BJP won a whopping 73 out of 80 seats in the state. Shah, the master strategist, along with the commendable oratory skills of current Prime Minister Modi, led the party to a landslide victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections. In July 2014, Shah was unanimously elected as the Party Chief for BJP, replacing the veteran leader Rajnath Singh. He was re-elected for the post in 2016 and had victories in Maharashtra, Jammu-Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam.

After BJP held the throne in 2019, Shah was one of the critical members of the long-awaited promise of the BJP, abolition of Article 370 and 35A. Shah fought for the Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 2019 from Gujarat's Gandhinagar and won over his nearest Congress opponent with 5.57 lakh votes. Apart from holding one of the most crucial positions in the Modi Cabinet since 2014, Shah was appointed as the Minister for the newly formed Ministry of Cooperation.

There is no denying that Shah has played a crucial role in making BJP the strongest party in the current political scenario. Many call him the right-hand of Prime Minister Modi. After two tenures of the BJP government, it remains to be seen where the public opinion stands during the 2024 elections. If all goes well, it is logical to conclude that Shah will be the master planner for the next Lok Sabha elections.

Also Read: Looking Back At The 2018 Axis Bank Case