CONTENTS Introduction Prologue PART 1: Beginnings 1. The Early Years 2. On the Road 3 Political Awakening PART 2: The Ascent 4. Learning the Ropes 5. The Yatra to Power 6. Rising to Responsibility PART 3: The Return 7. The Riots 8. Fighting for Gujarat 9. Development and Governance PART 4: The Future 10. And Now, Prime Minister? Notes and References INTRODUCTION HIS IS THE STORY of an extraordinary life. As always there is a context: Narendra Modi is the prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in what is likely to be a historic general election. The 2014 Lok Sabha poll will set the course for Indian politics and policy well into the next decade. It could be the most dramatic and important election since March 1977, when Indira Gandhi was defeated after revoking the Emergency. The Emergency ended before most Indians alive today were born. Today over 60 per cent of Indians are under thirty-five years of age. This election will belong t