Who is he?

Amit Shah is the general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s right-hand man. He is responsible for executing BJP’s election strategy and managing the party’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh – India’s most populous state. Mr. Shah worked for Mr. Modi as the Minister of State for Home Affairs in Gujarat from 2003 to 2010. He resigned after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charged him for ordering the kidnap and murder of alleged criminal Sohrabuddin Sheikh.

Why is he in the media?

Uttar Pradesh accounts for 80 out of 543 seats in the lower house of parliament. The BJP won only 10 seats from the state in 2009, but had averaged 46 seats in the three elections prior to 2009. To revive the BJP’s electoral fortunes in this key state, Amit Shah was appointed the poll manager to decide campaign strategy and representation of BJP candidates in the state.  Mr. Modi himself is running from a seat in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

What can we expect from him?

Amit Shah launched the BJP’s campaign BJP in rural Uttar Pradesh based on Narendra Modi’s popularity. He is mobilizing support from Other Backward Class (OBC) by popularizing Modi’s OBC credentials and modest beginnings. He is the chief mediator working with various factions within the party that are unhappy over candidate selection. So far, most pre-polls show the BJP winning approximately 40 seats in Uttar Pradesh, so the party’s strategy in the state is expected to pay dividends.