Amit Shah Ji
Profile, Political Journey and Organizational Career
Amit Shah Ji
Amit Shah was born to Smt. Kusumben and Shri Anilchandra Shah, an affluent Gujarati family in the year 1964 in Mumbai.
He lived and studied in his paternal village Maansa, Gujarat until the age of 16, when upon completion of his school education, his family shifted to Ahmedabad. As a young boy he was always inspired by the stories of the great patriots of the nation and dreamt of working for the progress of the motherland. He was especially inspired and influenced by the nationalist spirit and vision of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) and became its active member in Ahmedabad. This was one act that was to change his life forever and set him on a momentous journey towards the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
From RSS to BJP
After joining the RSS, Amit Bhai worked for the student’s wing of the RSS – the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad for over four years. It was during this period that BJP emerged as the political arm of RSS and Amit Bhai became a member of the party in 1984-85. His first assignment was that of a poll agent at Ahmedabad’s Naranpura ward, followed by secretaryship of the Naranpura ward.
Successful completion of these missions earned him the higher responsibilities as National treasurer of BJYM and then as the State secretary and State Vice-President of Gujarat BJP. In these roles, he actively campaigned to expand the base of the young political party.
His abilities to keep his ear to the ground and establish deep and lasting connect with party workers enabled him to hone his organizational capabilities. As in charge of Ahmedabad city, he handled mass mobilization of people in favour of the Ram Janambhoomi Movement and Ekta Yatra. He was later entrusted with managing the BJP election campaign of Shri L.K. Advani from Ahmedabad constituency in the 1989 Lok Sabha Elections and also served as election in-charge for Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he contested from Gandhinagar.
Building the Party Organization
The political upheaval in Gujarat during 1990 overturned established fortunes and BJP emerged as the principal and only opposition party to the Congress in the state. During this time, Amit Bhai, under the guidance of Shri Narendra Modi, then Gujarat BJP’s Organisation Secretary, initiated and successfully completed the task of documenting party’s primary members across the state. This was a critical first step to garner the party’s strength and electoral prowess.
BJP’s first stint in political power in Gujarat was relatively short lived as the party that stormed into power in 1995 fell in 1997. During this period, Amit Bhai was made the chairman of Gujarat State Financial Corporation. In the by-election that followed the fall of the BJP government, he contested assembly polls from Sarkhej and won the seat. He later won the same seat again in 1998 by over 1.30 lakh votes.
A key achievement described in the supplied material is his work in Gujarat’s cooperative movement. In 1998, BJP began winning elections for cooperative banks, milk dairies and agriculture market committees. Under his chairmanship, the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank became profitable in one year and declared a dividend for the first time in a decade. In 2001, he was made the national convener of BJP’s cooperative committee.
State Government Responsibilities
In 2002, as a prelude to the assembly elections, Amit Bhai was made the co-organiser of the ‘Gaurav Yatra’. The party came to power in the state under Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Amit Bhai won his seat from the Sarkhej constituency for the third time in a row, with the supplied material recording a margin of 1,58,036 votes. He was given the key ministries of Home, Transport and Prohibition.
In 2007, Sarkhej electorate again elected Amit Bhai, with the supplied material recording a victory margin of 2,32,832 votes. He returned to the state cabinet and was given responsibility for portfolios including Home, Transport, Prohibition, Parliamentary Affairs, Law and Excise.
An avid chess player himself, Amit Bhai became Chairman of Gujarat State Chess Association and introduced chess on a pilot project basis in Ahmedabad’s government schools. In 2007, Shri Narendra Modi and Amit Bhai became Chairman and Vice Chairman of Gujarat State Cricket Association, respectively, and Amit Bhai was also Chairman of Ahmedabad Central Board of Cricket.
2014 and National Leadership
The supplied material describes the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as a high point in Amit Bhai’s political journey. It says he focused on Uttar Pradesh, visiting the state extensively, energizing party workers and promoting the BJP’s development agenda along with Shri Narendra Modi’s vision.
The material records that BJP and its allies won 73 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and that BJP crossed the 272-mark in the Lok Sabha with a majority on its own strength.
The BJP recognized Amit Bhai’s commitment, hard work and organizational capabilities and made him President of the party in 2014. The source says that during his tenure he travelled across the country to push party membership and launched programs including “Mahasampark Abhiyan” to engage newly acquired members in party programs.
The source also states that the combination of PM Modi’s leadership and Amit Bhai’s election strategies was followed by BJP winning four of the five assembly elections held during the first year of his tenure as party president, with BJP governments in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana and a coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir.
Beyond Politics
Despite his hectic schedule and numerous public engagements, the supplied material says Amit Bhai enjoys listening to classical music, playing chess and watching cricket. It also notes his interest in stage performances, including performances during his student life.