He combined BJP’s core planks of Hindutva and hardcore nationalism with a development narrative and set up a huge ground-level organisational setup to execute it — the BJP’s ‘Chanakya’ Amit Shah blazed such a trail that the ‘Modi Wave 2.0’ surpassed its own original avatar with a much bigger saffron surge.
Known as an astute strategist, 54-year-old Shah is oftenhailed as the BJP’s most successful president for crafting its way to powerstates after states.
The record tally that he has now delivered for the BJP inthe Lok Sabha 2019 elections is already being seen by many as something thatwould be difficult to repeat, though there are others who believe there is moreto come as they point towards further inroads to be made in West Bengal, Odishaand in down South.
A man with avowed aim of having the BJP rule from”panchayat to Parliament”, Shah has built his party into a formidablearmy that has been forever marching on since he took charge as its president inJuly 2014, turning India more saffron than it has ever been.
Political pundits say Shah has used a skilful mix ofideological firmness, unlimited political imagination and realpolitikflexibility to keep the BJP ahead of the game.
He ceded space in states like Bihar and Maharashtra to putallies at ease, worked on rival politicians with captive local vote banks toget them into the BJP fold, and sewed up new alliances as in Tamil Nadu and inthe North East to boost his party’s winning prospects.
And, unlike in the 90s when the BJP first came to power atthe Centre, Shah ensured that his party made new friends without inviting thecharge from its core voter base of diluting its core principles, ranging fromRam temple to cow, nationalism and Kashmir, for political gains.
If under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, the saffronparty was seen as being inhibited in going all-out with its Hindutva plank forfear of antagonising allies and due to its perceived limited electoral appeal,the BJP has worn its Hindutva ideology on sleeve like a badge of honour underPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.
Shah has been of a firm view that Hindutva combined with theBJP’s hardcore nationalism agenda, though panned as shrill and divisive by itscritics, render the party a distinct identity, and is a winning electoralstrategy.
He has always believed that the allies would keep coming aslong as the party is delivering in the polls.
Shah is also known to always match his limitless politicalambition with a thorough spadework, and then takes charge at the ground to putit into work.When it emerged in 2015 that the BJP with itssmall allies was no match to the joint forces of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumarin Bihar, the party worked at winning over the JD(U) president, who finallybroke his short alliance with Prasad in 2017 and joined hands with the formerally.