From RSS Organiser To PM: Tracing Narendra Modi’s Political Rise

Narendra Modi’s political career began in the organisational ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), decades before he held elected office. He moved from being a full-time RSS pracharak to organising for the BJP, becoming Gujarat chief minister in 2001 and prime minister in 2014. His rise was built largely through party organisation before he entered electoral politics, first in Gujarat and later at the national level.

Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar, Gujarat. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, he grew up in a family of modest means, worked at the family tea stall and later left home as a teenager, travelling before returning to Gujarat. The official biography says he joined the RSS and became a full-time pracharak in 1972. His early political career was shaped by organisational work.

RSS Years And Entry Into The BJP

Modi’s early political work was shaped by the RSS. During the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi’s government from 1975 to 1977, the Prime Minister’s Office says he took part in activities opposing the suspension of democratic rights. He continued his organisational work with the RSS into the 1980s.

In 1987, Modi moved into the BJP’s Gujarat organisation. The Prime Minister’s Office records that he became the party’s general secretary in Gujarat and worked on the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation election, where the BJP won the corporation. He was subsequently involved in the party’s campaigns in Gujarat, including the 1990 Assembly election, when the BJP became the second-largest party, and the 1995 election, when it won 121 seats.

His responsibilities later expanded to the BJP’s national level. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, he became BJP national secretary in 1995, overseeing party activities in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, and later became general secretary (organisation). His work increasingly involved election planning and party organisation. Reuters has also described this period as the organisational base from which Modi developed his national political career.

The Gujarat Years: Power, Politics And Controversy

In October 2001, Modi became Gujarat chief minister, replacing Keshubhai Patel. He had not previously held elected office before becoming chief minister. His appointment marked his move from party organisation into government.

In February 2002, Gujarat saw widespread communal violence after a train coach was set on fire at Godhra. More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence, most of them Muslims, according to Reuters. Modi and his government faced allegations and criticism over their handling of the violence; Modi denied wrongdoing.

The legal proceedings continued for years. A Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team examined allegations concerning Modi and others. In 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the SIT’s clean chit to Modi and others, finding no grounds to interfere with the SIT’s conclusion. The judgment examined the allegations and evidence considered by the SIT.

Politically, Modi remained in office. The BJP won a majority in the December 2002 Gujarat Assembly election, and he subsequently led the party to victories in 2007 and 2012. He served as Gujarat chief minister until May 2014.

During his Gujarat tenure, his government focused heavily on investment, infrastructure and economic development. His government promoted the Vibrant Gujarat investment summits to attract business and investment. Supporters pointed to development and infrastructure, while critics continued to focus on the 2002 violence and the treatment of minorities.

From Gujarat To National Leadership

By the early 2010s, Modi had become a major national figure within the BJP. In 2013, the party appointed him chairman of its central election campaign committee and later named him its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

The result took Modi from state politics to national government. The BJP won 282 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, according to the Election Commission of India. It was the party’s first single-party majority in the House since 1984. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance formed the government, and Modi was sworn in as prime minister on May 26, 2014.

His first government launched or expanded programmes including Jan Dhan, Swachh Bharat and Digital India. It also oversaw the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax in 2017.

Consolidating Power, Securing A Third Term

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP increased its tally to 303 seats, up from 282 in 2014, according to Election Commission data. Modi was sworn in for a second term on May 30, 2019. His government subsequently ended the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the same year. It also dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, including the nationwide lockdown announced in March 2020 and the subsequent vaccination programme.

The 2024 Lok Sabha election produced a different parliamentary result. The BJP won 240 seats, below the 272 required for a majority in the 543-member House. The BJP-led NDA won 293 seats, according to Reuters, allowing it to form the government with its coalition partners. Modi was sworn in for a third term on June 9, 2024.

Modi’s career has therefore moved from organisational work in the RSS and BJP to elected office in Gujarat and, eventually, the prime ministership. The 2014 and 2019 elections gave the BJP single-party majorities under his leadership; in 2024, the NDA formed the government with support from coalition partners.