What Modi Wants With Amit Shah's Election To Rajya Sabha

Amit Shah, 52 years old and the president of the BJP, is a youth leader given the age of the average Indian politician, but is all set to enter the House of Elders or the Rajya Sabha.

Shah filed his nomination papers today in Gujarat. He has also ensured that rival and top Congress strategist Ahmed Patel has a tough fight in his bid for a fifth Rajya Sabha term.

Given how much Shah travels - across the country in states heading for election, lunching with Dalits and mobilizing cadre, many are wondering what Narendra Modi has in store for his closest confidante and effective Number Two.
 Will Shah join Modi's cabinet? A reshuffle is long overdue with important ministries being held as dual charges. This includes Finance Minister Arun Jaitley doubling up as Raksha Mantri, Dr Harshvardhan holding Environment as an additional portfolio, and Smriti Irani taking on Information and Broadcasting after Venkaiah Naidu was named the BJP's choice for Vice President.

Sources in the BJP said that after Shah's run for the Rajya Sabha was announced, many in the party felt he would be made Defence Minister once elected. But Shah had been offered an important ministry by Modi when he was sworn in as PM and the two jointly decided that it was vital for him to continue as BJP President. Modi's faith in Shah has paid off in ample measure as the duo have pretty much wiped the floor with the opposition in one state after another.

Shah's war cry of "Congress-mukt Bharat" (Congress-free India) has turned into a mission of "Vipaksh-mukt Bharat" (Opposition-free India), a truly frightening prospect in a democracy but one which he is carrying out with missionary zeal.

It is unlikely that Shah will give up his precious job of "Adhyaksh-ji" (President), but will instead use the public pulpit provided by the Rajya Sabha to build a national profile for himself as a hardline BJP leader who can take on the opposition with aggression and expertise. "While there is huge speculation in the party that he will take over as Defence Minister and he and Modi will entrust the party to J P Nadda, I don't think it will happen," said a senior BJP leader. "Why would you give up the second-most powerful position as the kingmaker - as seen in the case of the anointment of Yogi Adityanath - to take the job of a mere mantri (minister)?"
 The final decision will as usual be taken only between Shah and Modi who enjoy a near perfect partnership and understanding, extremely unusual in politics and utterly unlike the relationship between Atal Behari Vajpayee and his deputy L K Advani, which was marred by a certain degree of distrust.

Shah, who loves the cut and thrust of politics, has detailed game plans ready for the upcoming election in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh; other key states will also vote before the big one in 2019. Not content with nearly wiping out the Congress from North India with Punjab being the lone exception, Shah is now working to ensure that the BJP repeats its record haul from Uttar Pradesh (73 of 80 seats) and Bihar (31 seats) in the 2019 elections. Having newly conquered Bihar with a coup and Nitish Kumar, Shah also wants to handle the new tricky ally himself to ensure that the BJP is in a dominant position in the next Bihar state election due in 2020.

While all this indicates that Shah will continue as BJP President, both Modi and Shah enjoy taking the media and their opponents by surprise. Both also have a penchant for secrecy and their well-orchestrated plans frequently stump even senior leaders of their party. They largely consult only each other, but with the RSS and Mohan Bhagwat always in the loop.

But that's the extent of the discussions. Shah carries out Modi's bidding in the party and the comfort they share will be hard for any other president to replicate.

Shah's dream job has always been to serve as Chief Minister of Gujarat; yet, while he ensured that old rival Anandiben Patel was removed, he could not replace her since he had the rest of the country to win for the BJP.
 The mission is singular: to make the BJP the dominant pole of Indian polity and ensure that it has a stake and a presence in all parts of India. Shah wants to decimate the Congress and replace it.

So even in states such as Gujarat, which could have enabled a determined opposition to put up a good fight, Shah has check-mated the Congress by orchestrating its dissension and strife, leaving it enfeebled.

So while it is Mission 150 in Gujarat, Shah has told the BJP cadre that they should fixate on Mission 400 for the general election - that is the scale and sweep of his dreams for the BJP. He has turned the party into a formidable fighting machine, forever in aggressive campaign mode. Much like a replica of his political instincts.

Shah's entry in the Rajya Sabha, where the government will remain in a minority for some time, will be sweeter with the 10 MPs that he has added to the BJP's kitty - these are Nitish Kumar's Rajya Sabha MPs - without having to fight any election.

So while a cabinet reshuffle is on the cards, Shah will continue to be the stuff that opposition nightmares are made of - with a lot of help from feckless opposition leaders with unentitled ambitions.

(Swati Chaturvedi is an author and a journalist who has worked with The Indian Express, The Statesman and The Hindustan Times.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.