Often referred to as Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Chanakya, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been actively involved in the planning and implementation of the party’s triumphant election strategies. As he turns 58 years old, Shah is considered the most influential man in Indian politics after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

From being a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the 1980s to becoming the union home minister, Amit Shah has seen a phenomenal rise in Indian politics. On his 58th birthday, here’s a look at his political career.

– Amit Shah was born on October 22, 1964, to a prosperous Gujarati family in Mumbai. He received his initial education at his ancestral village of Mansa in Gujarat and later moved with his family to Ahmedabad.

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– In 1980, at the age of 16, inspired by the ideology of Rashtriya SwayamSevak Sangh (RSS) he joined its student wing ABVP. In two years, due to his dedication to the organisation, he was made the joint secretary of the Gujarat unit of ABVP.

– After completing his graduation in biochemistry, he joined his family business of PVC pipe making.

– His journey as a political activist started in 1987 after he joined Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). However, it was his association with Narendra Modi in the early 90s which brought a significant change in his political career.

Modi and Shah

In 1995, Narendra Modi convinced then Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel to make Shah the chairman of Gujarat State Finance Corporation. Shah kept this politically influential post even when his mentor Modi was banished as part of a peace deal between the BJP high command and rebel Shankarsinh Vaghela.

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Once Modi won a thumping victory in the Gujarat assembly polls in 2002, Shah was rewarded with about 10 portfolios, including home, law and justice, housing, parliamentary affairs, border security and prison.

National politics

After BJP won the Lok Sabha election in 2014, Shah was elected the party’s national president. At 49, he served as the youngest national president of the BJP. Shah had gained a reputation as a master strategist, steering his party to election victories in Uttar Pradesh and the Centre in 2019.

After BJP’s massive win in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, under Amit Shah’s leadership, the party continued its winning spree in state assembly polls as well. BJP emerged victorious in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh during Amit Shah’s tenure as party president, and his record as the BJP chief remains unmatchable.

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(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)