What were these popular Indian politicians doing before entering politics?

While much is known about Narendra Modi's rise from being a humble tea-seller to becoming the Prime Minister of India, not much is known about other popular Indian politicians and their professions before they entered the realm of power and politics. So, let us have a look at some prominent Indian politicians like Amit Shah, Naveen Patnaik, Rahul Gandhi, among others and what were their careers before following their hearts to serve the country and become politicians. Read on to know more.

Often called the 'Chanakya' of modern politics in India, Amit Shah was born on October 22, 1964 in Mumbai and he hails from a Gujarati Hindu family. He did his schooling in Mehsana and later pursued his undergraduate from Ahmedabad. His father has a PVC pipe business and Amit Shah started his professional life by working at his father's company. He then switched his career and worked as a stockbroker and in a few co-operative banks in Ahmedabad. Amit Shah followed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and was involved with it since his childhood. And so, it is no surprise that he later made a career change and became a full-time politician. It was in 1982 when he first met Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad, and their political career and friendship have only grown over the years.

Five-time CM of Odisha and a two-time Union Minister, Naveen Patnaik's political career was all by chance. For the unversed, Naveen Patnaik is the youngest son of former Odisha CM Biju Patnaik and his wife Gyan Devi. With both his elder siblings not inclined to politics after their father's death, Naveen Patnaik entered politics in 1997. For the unversed, his elder brother Prem Patnaik is an industrialist, while his late sister Gita Mehta was a well-known war correspondent and writer. Before switching his career and entering the realm of politics, Naveen Patnaik was a popular part of the social circles in and outside New Delhi. He was an arts and culture connoisseur, and he had even written three books. From arts and culture to politics, Naveen Patnaik has had a long and illustrious career until he recently lost the 18th Lok Sabha elections. Had he won it, he would have made history in his political career by becoming the longest-serving CM of any Indian state.

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The scion of the Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi has studied Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Development Studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. After pursuing his post-graduation, started his professional career by working in a management consulting firm in London, UK (namely the Monitor Group). He soon returned to India and set up his own technology outsourcing company named Backops Services Private Ltd in Mumbai. He was the Founder of the tech company, where he worked, before switching his career and becoming a full-time politician. He recently won the 18th General Elections and is now a Member of the Lok Sabha.

From being a popular personality in the entertainment world to becoming a powerful figure in Indian politics, Chief Minister of Punjab- Bhagwant Mann's career has turned around completely and this shows the power and true nature of democracy. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann was a popular comedian and singer before he switched his career and entered the world of politics.

Indian politician who was the 10th Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar is now an elected member of the Lok Sabha. But did you know that before turning to power and politics, Manohar lal Khattar's previous profession was vastly different? In fact, Manohar Lal Khattar's family is settled in Banyani village of Rohtak district where they do farming. Whereas, before becoming a politician, Khattar himself ran a shop near Delhi's Sadar Bazar while studying for his bachelor's degree from the University of Delhi, as per reports.

While Tejashwi Yadav is well-known as the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly, not many know about his career before he entered politics. For the unversed, Tejashwi Yadav dropped out of his school in class X itself to pursue a career in sports. In fact, Tejashwi got into the U-17 and U-19 Delhi cricket team. He was also named as a standby player for the U-19 Indian national cricket team to represent in the World Cup, later in the same year, as per Wikipedia.

Photo: PTI

Born on May 13, 1969, to Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi and Najmunnisa Begum, Asaduddin Owaisi is an Indian politician and the President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. In his youth, Owaisi was a cricketer and he even 'represented the South Zone inter-university U-25s cricket team as a fast bowler in the Vizzy Trophy in 1994 and later got selected in South Zone university team,' reads a statement on Wikipedia. Not just a sports person, Owaisi was also a barrister by profession as he studied in London's Lincoln's Inn. From cricketer to barrister to politician, Asaduddin Owaisi has truly had a vast political career.