This abandoned school in Ahmedabad is where Amit Shah began his political journey

Amit Shah was the BJP’s booth in-charge at Sanghvi High School, and his junior colleagues recall his hard work to ensure L.K. Advani’s victories here.

BJP chief Amit Shah | PTI photo

Ahmedabad: The verandah is dusty; the paint has faded and chipped away. The walls bear cracks, while the name of the building is barely legible. This is what is left of Sanghvi High School on Vijaynagar road in Naranpura, Ahmedabad.

The building may be abandoned today, but the dusty grounds are still abuzz with activity, because children are being taught the martial art of karate. The school used to be synonymous with Naranpura, but it has another claim to fame — it was the starting point of a political journey that culminated in Amit Shah becoming the BJP’s national president, and one of the most powerful persons in the country.

When Shah came to file his nomination for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, he recalled that he had been the BJP in-charge for booth no. 37 at Sanghvi High School, and had worked to ensure a victory for party co-founder Lal Krishna Advani, whom he has replaced as the candidate.

And while the school and the polling station has shifted to another building a few metres away, Shah will renew his association with booth no. 37 when he casts his vote along with the rest of Gujarat in the third phase of polling on 23 April.

‘Serious and dedicated’

This is the first general election since the old school building was abandoned four years ago, but even today, many in the area associate this building with Shah.

Malav Golavala, who is teaching karate to the kids, has also been a booth agent for the BJP for over a decade now. He studied at the same high school, and recalls the days when Shah used to visit “sometimes” while he was the rising star of Gujarat politics.

“I had seen him visiting this place; I was very junior when he was active here. We are a tight- knit society and proud of Shah for achieving so much today,” Golvala said.

“This building holds a special place in all of our hearts. I teach my kids karate here as it allows me to relive my childhood too.”

Fifty-year-old Hemang Patel, who runs a travel and tours business, is now in charge of the same booth no. 37 which Shah used to handle. Reminiscing about the old days, Patel says he learnt a lot from his senior.

“He was serious and dedicated. He and everyone else in the BJP used to do a meticulous job to ensure Advani would win with a respectable margin of votes,” Patel recalls.

“It gives me immense pleasure to be his booth in-charge, now that he is contesting from this constituency.”