AMIT ANIL CHANDRA SHAH

Amit Anil Chandra Shah, born on 22 October 1964, is a prominent Indian politician currently serving as the 32nd Home Minister and the 2nd Minister of Co-operation since June 2024. He previously held these portfolios during the second Modi ministry from 2019 to 2024. Shah represents Gandhinagar as a Member of Parliament and was the 10th President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, he has been the chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) since 2014 and served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat from 2017 to 2019.

Born in Mumbai, Amit Shah comes from a Gujarati Hindu family of the Baniya caste. His father, Anil Chandra Shah, was a successful businessman in the PVC pipe industry. Shah completed his schooling in Mehsana and moved to Ahmedabad to study biochemistry at CU Shah Science College, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry. Before fully dedicating himself to politics, Shah worked in his father's business, as a stockbroker, and in co-operative banks.

Shah's political career began in 1982 when he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and later the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1987. He quickly rose through the ranks, gaining recognition for his organizational skills and effective election campaign management. Shah played a crucial role in the BJP's strategies to reduce Congress' influence in Gujarat, particularly in rural areas and cooperative sectors.

Amit Shah emerged as a powerful leader in Gujarat politics, holding multiple portfolios in Narendra Modi's government from 2002 to 2012. He was instrumental in passing significant but controversial legislation such as the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act and the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime (Amendment) Bill.

Shah's influence extended beyond Gujarat when he was appointed BJP general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh (UP) for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. His strategic acumen led the BJP and its allies to win 73 out of 80 seats in UP, propelling him to national prominence and subsequently being appointed the party's national president in July 2014. Under his leadership, the BJP saw significant membership growth and electoral success in several states, despite some losses in Delhi and Bihar.

From 2014 to 2016, under Shah's leadership, the BJP achieved electoral victories in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Assam. However, the party faced defeats in Delhi and Bihar. In 2017, Shah played a crucial role in the BJP's success in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Manipur, although the party lost in Punjab. Despite setbacks in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh in 2018, the BJP made historic gains in Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. In 2019, leading the BJP to a decisive victory in the general elections, Shah's campaign strategy secured 303 seats for the party.

In 2019, Amit Shah became the Union Home Minister. He played a pivotal role in the abrogation of Article 370, which reorganized Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. Shah also advocated for the promotion of Hindi as a unifying language and announced plans to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) nationwide. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) introduced by him sparked nationwide protests due to its exclusion of Muslims, although Shah defended it as a measure to protect persecuted minorities.

Amit Shah is married to Sonal Shah, and the couple has a son named Jay. Shah faced personal losses and health challenges, including the death of his mother in 2010, surgery for lipoma in 2019, and a COVID-19 diagnosis in August 2020. Described as a private person, Shah has six sisters, two of whom live in Chicago.

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