Amit Shah is an Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is known for his organizational skills and political strategy, which have helped the BJP become one of the most dominant political forces in India. Shah has served as the Home Minister of India since 2019.
Early Life and Education:
Amit Shah was born on October 22, 1964, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His father, Anilchandra Shah, was a businessman and his mother, Kusumben Shah, was a housewife. Shah completed his schooling at Mehsana District School in Gujarat and later received a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from CU Shah Science College in Ahmedabad.
Political Career:
Shah’s political career began in the early 1980s when he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization that is the parent organization of the BJP. He became an active member of the BJP’s youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), and rose through the ranks to become the BJYM’s national secretary in 1989.
Shah’s organizational skills and political acumen soon caught the attention of the senior BJP leaders. In 1991, he was appointed as the president of the BJP’s Ahmedabad city unit, and later became the president of the BJP’s Gujarat unit in 2002.
As the president of the Gujarat unit, Shah played a key role in the BJP’s victory in the state assembly elections in 2002. He was credited with crafting the party’s election strategy and ensuring that the party won a clear majority in the state assembly.
Shah’s success in Gujarat brought him to the attention of the national leadership of the BJP. In 2010, he was appointed as the national general secretary of the BJP and was given the responsibility of overseeing the party’s organizational affairs.
In 2014, Shah was appointed as the president of the BJP, succeeding Rajnath Singh. Under his leadership, the BJP won a landslide victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, winning 282 out of 543 seats in the lower house of the Indian parliament.
Shah’s political skills were put to the test in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, where the BJP was pitted against a formidable alliance of regional parties. Shah crafted a strategy that focused on consolidating the Hindu vote and mobilizing support in the rural areas. The BJP won a resounding victory, winning 312 out of 403 seats in the state assembly.
In 2019, Shah was appointed as the Home Minister of India, succeeding Rajnath Singh. As the Home Minister, Shah has focused on tackling India’s security challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, and border disputes.
Controversies:
Shah has been involved in several controversies throughout his political career. In 2010, he was arrested in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, in which a gangster and his wife were killed in a fake encounter by the Gujarat police. Shah was charged with murder, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence. However, he was later acquitted of all charges.
In 2018, Shah was accused of ordering the police to fire on farmers in Madhya Pradesh, resulting in the death of six farmers. Shah denied the allegations, and an inquiry by the National Human Rights Commission found no evidence of police excesses.
Personal Life:
Amit Shah is married to Sonal Shah, and the couple has a son, Jay Shah. Jay is the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and has been involved in several controversies related to cricket administration.
