Amit Shah, who played instrumental role in BJP’s spectacular victory in crucial Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha elections, has finally been rewarded by appointed as the party’s national President. The unanimous decision to name Amit Shah, the closest and confidant protege of PM Narendra Modi, for the top post in BJP reflects the Modi’s total grip over the ruling dispensation. Amit is the successor to Rajnath Singh after BJP’s Parliamentary Board, party’s highest decision-making forum, declared Shah as the new Baadshah of BJP.
50-year-old Amit Shah started his journey as RSS Swayamsevak, he later joined BJP as an ordinary Karyakarta (worker) and has repeatedly proved himself through tireless hardwork and determination. From 1989 to recent 2014 elections, Amit Shah has never tasted electoral defeat and has been elected for the past 25 years. His meticulous planning yielded best results for the party in UP, where BJP got 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the largest state of India by thrashing regional parties SP, BSP and Congres.
Born in Mumbai, in a well-to-do family, Amit Shah’s father Anilchandra Shah, a businessman from Mansa, owned a successful PVC pipe business. Right from childhood Amit is inclined towards RSS and attended Sakhas regularly. He first met Narendra Modi in 1982, in the Ahmedabad RSS circles. At that time, Modi was a minor RSS pracharak, working as in-charge of youth activities in Gujarat. The duo’s bonding strengthened over time and Amit went on to become Home Minister of Gujarat. However, Amit faced charges in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case and he was arrested on 25 July 2010 in connection with the case.
At one time, Shah was considered as one of the main contenders for the Gujarat Chief Minister’s post. But his arrest tannked his political career. Shah dismissed all the accusations against him as politically motivated. He pointed out that during his tenure as the Home Minister, Gujarat was one of the states with minimum number of police encounters in the country. BJP’s roaring victory in recent Lok Sabha polls revived Amit’s career and made him the BJP’s national president. From an oridnary Karyakartha to BJP’s national president, Amit is quintessential Baadshah of BJP.
