Rajnath Singh (63) is the antithesis of a Thakur whose image is that of a feudal master. Besides his two stints as BJP president (the post he continues to hold), Mr. Singh has served in several capacities in the organisation as well as government. He is known to be decisive and succinct when it comes to decision making. Mr. Singh was one of the few top leaders in the party who stood like rock to project Mr. Modi as BJP’s best bet in the general election.
A staunch RSS supporter, Mr. Singh started his career as a physics lecturer. But the pull of Janata Party, an amalgam of several parties that came together to take on Indira Gandhi after the Emergency was lifted, proved to be too strong for him to resist a jump into politics. Once bitten by the political bug there was no looking back for him. He rose to be the Chief Minister of the Uttar Pradesh. He is among the top leaders who built the party structure in the State in the momentum generated by the Ram Mandir movement of Lal Krishna Advani.
