Ahmedabad, Oct 22 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah celebrated the Gujarati New Year and his 62nd birthday in his hometown of Ahmedabad. A festive and friendly gathering was held at his residence, drawing senior political leaders, party members, and well-wishers.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi, BJP state president Jagdish Vishwakarma, Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, and several ministers, MLAs, and councillors were among those who personally extended greetings to the Home Minister.
Shah also exchanged New Year wishes with visitors and supporters who came to meet him throughout the morning. Party workers gathered in large numbers outside his residence to convey their wishes. The Home Minister is expected to attend several programmes in the city on Wednesday and may also meet the newly appointed ministers of the Gujarat cabinet.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the Cabinet residence complex in Gandhinagar to convey Gujarati New Year greetings to his ministers and staff, as festive celebrations continued across the state.
Born in 1964 in Mumbai and raised in Ahmedabad, Amit Anilchandra Shah’s association with public life began early through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). After graduating in biochemistry, Shah joined the BJP in the 1980s, around the same time Narendra Modi was rising through the ranks. The two formed a political partnership that would go on to shape Gujarat’s and later India’s political narrative.
Shah’s sharp organisational mind came to prominence during the 1990s and early 2000s, when he played a crucial role in strengthening the BJP’s grassroots network. As Home Minister and later as Minister of Law and Urban Development in the Gujarat government, he was known for his efficiency, data-driven approach, and ability to connect with the party cadre.
He was instrumental in building what came to be called the “Gujarat model” — a blend of administrative control, law-and-order focus, and booth-level political management that gave the BJP an enduring edge in the state.
By the mid-2000s, Shah had become Narendra Modi’s most trusted strategist. His booth management model, meticulous voter segmentation, and micromanagement of campaigns helped the BJP secure landslide victories in successive state elections. Even political rivals acknowledged his precision and discipline.
After 2014, when Narendra Modi moved to Delhi as Prime Minister, Shah transitioned to national politics, becoming the BJP President and later India’s Home Minister. But his political heart, as many in Gujarat note, “still beats in Ahmedabad.”