New Delhi: On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a meditative journey to Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accompanied by his wife Sonal Shah, offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
The following days saw a flurry of images across media platforms. While one set showed Modi — “a man fuelled by his faith” — in deep meditation, the other set had Shah on a temple tour, visiting Sri Arulmigu Rajarajeswari Udanurai temple in Tamil Nadu, Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, and Somnath temple in Gujarat.
Post the campaign in 2019, too, when PM Modi visited the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand to offer prayers and meditate, Shah offered prayers at the Somnath temple.
Fast forward to 2024, and Shah has transformed from the BJP president and master strategist — who spent all his time and energy in laying the groundwork to convert PM Modi’s charismatic appeal into a massive mandate — to a charismatic star campaigner, drawing crowds nationwide.
He participated in approximately 188 rallies and roadshows, up from his 161 appearances in 2019. Only Modi surpassed him, with 206 engagements compared to his 142 in the previous Lok Sabha elections.
The third star campaigner of the party, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, addressed 206 events across 13 states and UTs, with the majority taking place in UP, as the party wanted him to focus on his home state.
According to party leaders and political analysts, while Modi remains the BJP’s campaign figurehead, Shah “sets its tone”.
“He has constantly improved himself and it is true that till the 2017 Gujarat elections, he addressed fewer public rallies. He was more of a backroom person, strategising for the party and was known as a man of few words,” said Yamal Vyas, a senior BJP leader from Gujarat, who has known and worked with Shah since 1995.
According to him, in this election, “it seems like suddenly we have a new Amit Shah, who is not only conducting public rallies but is also giving scores of media interviews.”
What “surprised” Vyas the most was the fact that till “2010-11, he (Shah) was never a Hindi-speaking person,” and the way he speaks the language now is a matter of surprise as well as happiness for him.
Echoing Vyas, a central BJP leader pointed out that the way Shah has “shaped the election narrative” this time, the party is witnessing a “different kind of leader, a wholesome politician.”
“The way he has conducted himself from the beginning till now is a learning for anyone,” the leader told ThePrint.
The focus of Shah’s campaign has been on issues related to national security and appeasement politics, such as the scrapping of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), Ram Mandir, Muslim reservation, appeasement politics and even Pakistan.
“He has toured across the country and has galvanised the cadre in these elections. He is one of the most sought-after leaders as far as public rallies are concerned as his speeches set the narrative. He’s now a role model for aspiring politicians,” said K. Laxman, senior BJP leader, who is also the national president of the OBC morcha of the party.
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‘Established himself as bada neta’
Born in Mansa, a small town in Gujarat in 1964, Shah doesn’t come from a political family.
According to political analysts, his “evolution” as a leader has to be viewed in terms of how he managed the party’s affairs and established himself as a “bada neta (big politician).”
“His role has to be viewed in terms of how he managed not only the party affairs but inside Parliament too. His speeches made in the Parliament are much talked about. His strength is understanding the role of social engineering and using it for the benefit of the party. He has established himself as a ‘bada neta’, a visionary leader,” highlighted political analyst Badri Narayan.
For Narayan, if there is someone apart from Modi who is shaping political discourse today “then it is Shah”.
As the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign came to a draw Friday, another BJP leader said these elections would also decide the future role of Shah.
The leader pointed out that there are several stages of becoming a politician and Shah had already established himself as an “able administrator, strategist or the Chanakya.”
“When we talk about the mass base of a leader, we often think of Atalji, Modiji. From these elections onwards, we will also mention Amitbhai,” the senior central BJP leader told ThePrint.
He went on to add that if one talks about setting the narrative or discourse it had always been PM Modi. “Even in these elections he (Modi) has led the campaign and set the narrative to some extent. But Shah has taken on that responsibility too. Whether it is Naveen Patnaik’s health issue or targeting Tejashwi Yadav and highlighting his shortcomings or even issues related to national security, he (Shah) has managed to set the tone.”
“The 2024 elections have witnessed Shah becoming a ‘complete’ politician as he cleared all the stages of a politician,” the leader added.
But will Shah be Modi’s successor? When Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that Modi was seeking votes for Shah as his successor due to the 75 years age ‘rule’ in the BJP, Shah strongly rebutted the claim saying the PM would continue to lead the country in 2029 as well.
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‘No election is too small for him’
According to Gujarat BJP leader Vyas, Shah’s thinking has always been that of a leader. “No election is too small for him.”
In 1995, when Shah was made the election in charge for the Sabarmati seat from where young Yatin Oza was the candidate, he was clear in his strategy the way he is now, Vyas said.
“So whether it is being in charge for a single seat or strategising for 543 Lok Sabha seats, he has an eye for detail and he gives both equal importance. When we talk about the evolution of a leader, this is an important aspect,” Vyas, who is the chief spokesperson of the BJP in Gujarat, told ThePrint.
Recounting the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls and the way Shah had chalked out its strategy by deploying many heavyweights, a third BJP leader said the Union home minister had outlined a similar roadmap in 2017 when he was the national president of the party and the elections were held for the local body elections in Odisha.
“For Amitbhai, right from panchayats to Parliament, or ‘P to P’, the effort has to be the same. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a gram panchayat or Parliament elections, and this has ensured the party’s success not only in 2019 but in several assembly polls,” he said.
Shah was first elected to the Gujarat assembly in 1997 from Sarkhej constituency and held it in 1998, 2002 and 2007. Following the seat’s dissolution in 2008, he shifted to Naranpura. Shah did not contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but was elected MP for Gandhinagar in 2019 and contested from there this time as well.
According to a fourth BJP leader, what sets Shah apart is his understanding of Indian politics and its essence.
“His understanding of the Indian political scene is unbelievable. When he was in Gujarat, he knew every single seat, leader and caste equation like the back of his hand. In today’s time, when people are constantly becoming social media leaders, he is someone who is a real 24/7 leader. He quickly adapted to national politics and what lies at the heart of all this is his understanding of a voter’s psyche,” the leader highlighted.
For senior BJP leader Baijayant Panda, somebody who has worked closely with Shah, what is striking is “how phenomenally well-read he is”.
“He has a vast range of interests and an amazing understanding of the world and Indian history. He is also someone who understands human motivations and reads people well. All of this, I believe, leads to him being a superb strategist, orator and narrative setter.”
“As a person, he is very warm, accessible and down to earth,” Panda told ThePrint.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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