A man known for proven organisational abilities and strategic planning, Amit Shah is a politician of the hinterland with a distinguished political record and commitment for the ideals he stands for.
Born on October 22, 1964, politics was not in Shri Amit Shah’s blood. Instead, it was the desire to serve the society that was passed on to Shri Amit Shah by his philanthropist family. At the tender age of 14, Shri Amit Shah joined the Rashtriya Syawamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a ‘Tarun Syawamsevak’. That was the turning point of his life.
ORGANIZATIONAL ROLE IN GUJARAT BJP :
In 1982, as a student of bio-chemistry, he was handed over the responsibility of the secretary of the students’ organisation ABVP in Ahmedabad. He later became the secretary of the BJP Ahmedabad city unit. There was no looking back since then. Shri Amit Shah went on to hold many crucial posts to rise up in the ranks of the Gujarat unit of BJP. He became the national treasurer of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in 1997 and later the Vice President of the Gujarat State unit of the BJP.
TURNAROUND OF THE CO-OPERATIVE SECTOR :
Every dying entity needs a visionary to turn its destiny around. This is true to the Ahmedabad District Co-Operative Bank Limited, which in the year 2000, was in totters and declared a weak bank due to lack of leadership. It was then that Shri Amit Shah was brought in as the chairman of the Bank to persevere the challenge. Shah started on a positive note, believing that the Bank could see green and pay dividends with able administration, work ethic, and tenacity. That was the year when the Bank had registered a loss of Rs 20.28 crore. Only a year after he took over, the Bank cleared its debts and fell in the line of other profit-making banks, with the declaration of a 10% dividend. Today, Ahmedabad District Co-Operative Bank Limited is a leading bak among the 367 co-operative banks in the country.
When people’s faith was floundering in co-operative banks due to the closure of the Madhavpura and other urban co-operative banks, Shri Amit Shah took it upon himself to bring the trust of the depositors back. His representation saw the government and the RBI introducing a reconstruction package for Madhavpura Bank. Shri Shah also led from the front in ensuring the introduction of the Flexi deposit scheme, enabling co-operative banks to invest their funds safely and profitably. The co-operative law was also modified by the state government due to the persistence of Shri Shah. The law now ensures action against defaulting co-operative leaders.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION :
In 1995, during the tenure of Shri. Keshubhai Patel as CM of Gujarat, Shri. Amit Shah became the youngest chairman of Gujarat State Financial Corporation (G.S.F.C.). In 2002, Shri Amit Shah became the Minister of State in Narendra Modi govt. During his tenure as minister, he has held several portfolios including that of transport, police, housing, border security, civil defense, gram rakshak dal, home guards, prison, prohibition, excise, law and justice, parliamentary affairs, and the coveted home ministry.
2014 GENERAL ELECTIONS :
His skill in political strategy and vision led to his appointment as the General Secretary of the party in 2010 and him being made in charge (Prabhari) of the electorally significant state of Uttar Pradesh. Within a short span of time, Shri. Amit Shah turn around the electoral fortunes of the BJP in UP and delivered a spectacular result, in which the BJP and it ally won 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats. BJP’s vote share in the state increased almost two and half times in less than two years when he was the Prabhari of UP.
Shri. Amit Shah was also a Member, of BJP’s Election Panel and in 2014, given the responsibility of public relations, mass marketing, and new voter enrollment. His result-oriented strategy-making skills played an important role in the enviable result for the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
SPORTS ADMINISTRATION :
Shri. Amit Shah has also served as the President of the Gujarat State Chess Association. In 2009, he became the vice-president of the Gujarat Cricket Association only to take over as its President in 2014.
