Narendra Modi Birthday Special: As Indian PM Turns 68, Here is a look at His Extraordinary Inspirational Journey

Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi has turned 68 today. The PM will celebrate his birthday at Varanasi - his parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, PM Modi will offer prayers to Lord Shiva at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and he will also watch 'Chalo Jeete Hain', a film based on his life. The Prime Minister is likely to meet children from a primary school in Naraur village. In 2014, Modi contested the Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi.

Here are Snippets from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Life:

Early Life:

Narendra Modi was born on September 17, 1950, to a Gujarati family in Vadnagar. In his childhood, Modi sold tea at Vadnagar railway station and even ran a tea stall. He left home after graduating from school, partly because of an arranged marriage which he rejected.

Start of his political journey:

At an age of eight, he joined The Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS). In 1971 he became a full-time worker for the organisation. He became part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1985 and held several positions before becoming the general secretary in 2001.

As chief minister of Gujarat (2001-2014):

Modi was appointed as chief minister of Gujarat in 2001 due to the failing health of Keshubhai Patel. He elected to the legislative assembly after. In 2002, Godhra riots took place during his tenure as chief minister.  He received heavy criticism of the way his government handled the riots. Due to the backlash by opposition parties he resigned from the post in the same year. In December 2002 he again became the chief minister of the state. Modi as a chief minister brought development in Gujarat. His government favoured privatisation. He was also credited with changing the state's system of power distribution, significantly impacting farmers. Narendra Modi served as the chief minister of the state from 2001-2014.

Prime Minister of India (2014-Present):

In September 2013 Modi was named the BJP's candidate for prime minister in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. His nomination was opposed by several BJP leaders including a founder member of the party, Lal Krishan Advani. During the campaign, Modi focused on the corruption scandals under the previous UPA government. Narendra Modi also addressed concerns of religious minority communities during the campaign and assured his commitment towards secularism. He won Lok Sabha seat from Varanasi beating Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal. In the elections, The BJP won 31% of the votes and doubled its tally in the Lok Sabha to 282. Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He became the first Prime Minister born after India's independence from the British Empire.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 17, 2018 12:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).