Narendra Modi

• Party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Age 63

Narendra Damodar Das Modi, of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is a controversial, effective and ambitious politician. Born into poverty, he worked his way up the BJP ranks to become chief minister in Gujarat in 2001. Communal violence a year later hurt his reputation, particularly among Muslims, but he has shrugged this off and currently leads in the polls.