If there is one name that Bharatiya Janata Party workers and supporters swear by, it has to be Amit Shah. In the Narendra Modi government since 2017, Shah continues to hold the crucial portfolio of home ministry and is also India’s first minister for cooperation since 2021.
There are multiple unique facets that Shah is known to exhibit both in terms of his responsibilities as a union minister and as an able organisation person of the BJP.
The Modi-Shah camaraderie
Clearly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been one of his biggest influences right from joining Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to coming to central politics. The two first met in the early 1980s when Modi was an RSS pracharak. Then they were colleagues in the Gujarat cabinet for a decade. And their friendship formed over the years was set to continue for the decades to come.
The biggest weapon in Modi‘s armoury was undoubtedly Shah. After having successfully delivered 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Shah continued with his magic even when he was made the BJP national president in July 2014.
Immediately after the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won the elections of Maharashtra and Haryana, giving Delhi a bit of a glimpse of its political strength. It was during his tenure as the party president that the BJP was able to breach the Left bastion and win the elections in Tripura, ending communist rule of more than two decades. He coined the most important catchphrase for the BJP in that state, saying, “Chalo paltai (Let’s change).”
Abrogation of Article 370, making CAA reality
When he took charge as the home minister in 2019, a lot of expectations came along. Shah did not disappoint. Two important agendas of the BJP and RSS were fulfilled that year. The entire strategy planning and execution of the abrogation of Article 370, something which the late Syama Prasad Mukherjee had dreamt of, became a reality. With this move, many BJP supporters began comparing Amit Shah with one of the tallest home ministers of the country, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Even the passage of the Citizen Amendment Act, a long-pending demand of the BJP-RSS, is to Shah’s credit.
After a successful stint as BJP president, Amit Shah handed over the reins to JP Nadda, but to date, he continues to be the chosen troubleshooter for the party. No key decisions taken by the party, whether in the organisation or with alliance partners, have been fulfilled without Shah’s involvement. Settling border disputes among northeast states as well as stitching up alliances all over the country have largely been credited to him.
Avid reader, cricket lover, family man
A vociferous reader, Shah has an interest in religious texts from diverse communities, including the Deoband Charter.
Unthinkable at one point, it was during Shah’s tenure as president in 2019 that the BJP went on to win 18 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, up from just 2 in 2014. He laid a strong foundation for the party In the eastern state, which has been ruled by TMC and before that for decades by the Left parties.
Shah has said several times that he couldn’t call his stint as BJP president a successful one till ensuring that the party formed the government in states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Bengal. In the 2024 elections, one of his dreams came true, when the BJP formed the government in Odisha and also bagged 19 out of the state’s 20 Lok Sabha seats.
On the personal front, Shah is known as an absolute family man and can often be seen spending time with his granddaughters. A cricket buff with in-depth knowledge of the technicalities of the game, when given a chance, he does not miss out on watching a match or two at the stadium.
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