Narendra Modi

He married Jashodaben Chimanlal, at the age of 18, according to the traditions followed by the Ghanchi community. As per reports, the marriage was never consummated and eventually resulted in separation.

Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on September 17, 1950 in the small town of Vadnagar, Mehsana, Gujarat, as the third of six children, to Damodardas Mulchand and Heeraben Modi.

Belonging to the backward Ghanchi community, he started selling tea at Vadnagar railway station at a very young age, after which he set up a tea stall near a bus terminus with his brother.

After completing his schooling in Vadnagar in 1967, he left home and traveled across India exploring its expansive landscape and diverse culture, visiting Rishikesh, the Himalayas, Ramakrishna Mission and Northeast India.

He returned home after two years and went to Ahmedabad to join Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a fulltime pracharak (campaigner) in 1971.

He completed his graduation from Delhi University in political science through correspondence in 1978, and obtained a Masters degree in political science from Gujarat University in 1983.

During the 1975-77 national emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Modi remained underground and traveled in disguise. He made use of various tactics including printing and distribution of pamphlets to oppose the government. This brought his managerial, organizational and leadership skills to the fore.

He joined the BJP in 1985 and was made the organization secretary of its Gujarat Unit in 1987.

He contested for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation elections and won the same, giving BJP its first ever win.

His capabilities were recognized within the party after he helped in conducting L.K. Advani’s Ayodhya Rath Yatra in 1990, which became his first national-level political assignment, followed by Murli Manohar Joshi’s Ekta Yatra in 1991-92.

He played a major role in strengthening BJP’s presence in Gujarat after the 1990 Gujarat Assembly elections.

Following the incumbent Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel’s failing health, corruption allegations, and poor management of the Bhuj earthquake, he was chosen as a replacement and sworn in as the Chief Minister in 2001.

Upon assuming power for a second term in 2002, he emphasized on the state’s economic development and eventually turned it into an attractive investment destination for businessmen and industrialists.

He was elected the Chief Minister for a third term in 2007, wherein he improved agricultural growth rate, provided electricity to all villages, and ensured rapid development of the state.

During his reign as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the government supported the creation of groundwater-conservation projects. This helped in the cultivation of Bt Cotton, which could be irrigated with the tube wells and Gujarat became the largest producer of Bt Cotton.

The Gujarat government under Modi brought electricity to every village in the state. He significantly changed the state's system of power distribution by separating agricultural electricity from rural electricity.