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Amit Shah

About Amit Shah

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Who is Amit Shah

A businessman-turned-politician and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Amit Shah became the Union home minister in the second term of the Narendra Modi-led central government. Also referred to as the 'Chanakya' of modern Indian politics, Shah, a close aide of Modi's, has been credited with leading the BJP to victory in several elections as the party's president. Shah put his political acumen to use on a pan-Indian basis even before donning the mantle of the BJP president. Since Modi took charge as the prime minister of India during his first term, no politician in the country has been considered taller than Shah, after the PM himself. Since 1989, Amit Shah has fought 29 elections, including various local body polls, and not lost any to this day. Shah was elected as an MLA from Gujarat’s Sarkhej in four consecutive elections — 1997 (by-election), 1998, 2002 and 2007. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Shah contested from Gandhinagar, a seat previously held by BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani, and won it comprehensively. He defeated his nearest rival Dr C J Chavda of the Indian National Congress by a margin of 557,014. Shah received 69.67% of the votes cast in this constituency.   Shah has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since childhood. He first met Narendra Modi in 1982 through Ahmedabad RSS circles. During Narendra Modi's 12-year tenure as the Gujarat CM, Shah emerged as one of the most powerful leaders in the state. After winning the 2002 state elections, he became the youngest minister in the Modi-led Gujarat government, and was given multiple portfolios. At one time, he held 12 portfolios — home, law and justice, prison, border security, civil defence, excise, transport, prohibition, home guards, gram rakshak dal, police housing, and legislative and parliamentary affairs.   Known as a master strategist, Shah, along with Modi, assured BJP victories in several state elections after the BJP’s landslide Lok Sabha elections win in 2014. And, they topped up their success with a thumping victory in Lok Sabha elections 2019, in which the BJP saw its biggest individual seat tally ever, of 303.   Under Shah's leadership, the BJP achieved success in Legislative Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam from 2014 to 2016, but lost the elections in Delhi, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. He led the party towards a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat, and marked the party's strong debut in Manipur, but the Akali-BJP alliance lost power in Punjab. Come 2019, however, the party lost the state elections in Jharkhand, and failed to form governments in Maharashtra and Haryana. In January 2020, Shah was succeeded as the BJP president by Jagat Prakash Nadda.

Latest Updates on Amit Shah

Congress General Secretaries Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala will hold a press conference in Delhi to present a report card of the Narendra Modi government

Updated On: 22 Nov 2022 | 9:04 PM IST

Congress leaders ask what happened in eight years, these people are awake with their eyes closed, said Amit Shah in Arunachal Pradesh

Updated On: 22 May 2022 | 3:08 PM IST

Quoting Swami Vivekananda's philosophy on education, he said it is the medium for making people intelligent, to bring out the inner strength of the people and give it a direction.

Updated On: 21 May 2022 | 6:12 PM IST

Efforts underway to make North East insurgency-free, 9,000 militants of region returned to mainstream in last 8 years, says Shah in Arunachal

Updated On: 21 May 2022 | 5:42 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will undertake a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh starting Saturday during which he will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of several development projects

Updated On: 20 May 2022 | 3:52 PM IST

Shah will arrive in Tirap district in the state on Saturday morning and participate in the Swarn Jayanti Samaroh(Golden Jubilee celebration) of Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Narottam Nagar

Updated On: 20 May 2022 | 2:25 PM IST

The digital payment systems should be done by online banking/UPI/PoS mode and further provision for generating computerised bills may also be placed with the given time

Updated On: 20 May 2022 | 2:24 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said universities should not become wrestling grounds for ideological battles.

Updated On: 19 May 2022 | 2:59 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussed the overall flood situation in Assam with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over phone and assured all possible help from the Centre

Updated On: 18 May 2022 | 7:28 AM IST

Live news updates: From Russia-Ukraine war to Covid surge in North Korea, catch all the live updates here

Updated On: 18 May 2022 | 8:42 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday directed security forces to conduct coordinated counter-terrorism operations pro-actively in Jammu and Kashmir.

Updated On: 17 May 2022 | 8:16 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held three back-to-back meetings with top officials of the security establishment to assess the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir

Updated On: 17 May 2022 | 6:51 PM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a three-day international seminar being organised at the Delhi University on May 19.

Updated On: 17 May 2022 | 4:06 PM IST

Gujarat police have booked filmmaker Avinash Das for sharing a photo of Home Minister Amit Shah with Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal, who was recently arrested by ED in money laundering case

Updated On: 16 May 2022 | 9:45 PM IST

'This state is known for its great culture and immense natural beauty. I pray for Sikkim's progress in the years to come'

Updated On: 16 May 2022 | 2:24 PM IST

Prime Minister Modi by declaring his intention for a third term is setting the Gujarat narrative and politically bullet-proofing himself

Updated On: 16 May 2022 | 8:02 AM IST

The Gujarat BJP's two-day 'chintan shivir' began on Sunday at a golf resort on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, where party leaders discussed strategies for the state Assembly election

Updated On: 15 May 2022 | 8:30 PM IST

The varsity officials confirmed Shah's participation at the seminar titled 'Revisiting The Ideas of India From Swaraj to New India', organised by the Department of Politics Science

Updated On: 15 May 2022 | 10:27 AM IST

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday alleged that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is trying to turn Telangana into another West Bengal.

Updated On: 14 May 2022 | 10:46 PM IST

Shah said BJP would end minority reservations in the state and increase the quota for STs, SCs and backward classes

Updated On: 14 May 2022 | 9:26 PM IST