The most powerful indians

1. The Most Powerful Indians in 2014

2. Top Ten powerful Indians in 2014
1. PRANAB MUKHERJEE President
2. NARENDRA MODI Chief Minister, Gujarat
3. RAHUL GANDHI Congress vice president
4. SONIA GANDHI Congress president and UPA chairperson
5. ARVIND KEJRIWAL AAP leader, former Delhi chief minister
6. J Jayalalithaa Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu
7. MAMATA BANERJEE Chief Minister, West Bengal
8. MAYAWATI President, Bahujan Samaj Party
9. Justice P Sathasivam Chief Justice of India
10. Mohan Bhagwat RSS chief

3. PRANAB MUKHERJEE President
WHY
As India goes into what is likely to be one of its most keenly fought elections and with pollsters predicting a hung
Parliament, Mukherjee, often known as the best prime minister India never had, will hold the key to government
formation.
POWER PUNCH
The Union Cabinet’s decision to reject the ordinance route for anti-graft bills pushed by Rahul Gandhi is believed to
have been influenced by the apprehension that President Pranab Mukherjee would not give assent to these
ordinances. His derision for “anarchy” and the strong pitch for a “stable government” are signs that he will be a
President like none other.
WHAT NEXT
Crucial role in government formation apart, Mukherjee has shown a penchant for reviving and reliving the
Rashtrapati Bhavan legacy, be it by throwing it open to people or his appearance at Beating Retreat in a six-horse
buggy. On the anvil is a museum inside the RB Estate, chronicling the illustrious structure and its history.
BY THE WAY
He taught political science in a West Bengal college before joining politics.

4. NARENDRA MODI Chief Minister, Gujarat
WHY
Because as the BJP prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he is the face of a high-voltage
national campaign that has galvanised the party with its promise to deliver its best win ever. Going for broke
(Mission 272+), he has forced others to define themselves on his terms. By scripting a narrative of development and
decisive leadership and counting on an electorate that’s young and impatient, he has been able to deflect attention
from questions on his role during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Power Punch
Modi’s publicity managers have swamped social media sites and the Internet, launching sites, Twitter handles and
Facebook pages. To reach out to a larger electorate, the pitch has changed from the Vibrant Gujarat context of a
CEO-chief minister. From projecting him as an OBC, the emphasis is now on his beginnings as a chaiwallah — a bid to
counter the dynastic roots of his biggest challenger, Rahul Gandhi.
WHAT NEXT
As Prime Minister, all eyes will be on how Modi in Delhi is different from Modi in Ahmedabad, on who all form his
inner circle. Even if the numbers elude him, he would have irreversibly changed power equations in the BJP. BY THE
WAY
He loves gizmos and photography. He was one of the first in his party to have started using a digital camera.

5. RAHUL GANDHI Congress vice president
WHY
A year after he was made the grand old party’s vice president, Rahul is now in command and calls the shots in the
party to a large extent. The de facto prime ministerial candidate of the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections, the
Amethi MP has stepped out of mother Sonia Gandhi’s shadows in quick time to take organisational activities in his
grip. From selecting broad campaign themes to candidate-selection and manifesto-making, he is playing a crucial
role.
POWER PUNCH
His tearing of the proposed ordinance on convicted MPs and MLAs underlined his pre-eminence and clout in the
ruling dispensation. The government meekly surrendered and rolled back its decision to bring an ordinance to
protect convicted lawmakers from disqualification.
WHAT NEXT The outcome of the Lok Sabha elections, whichever way it goes, will not affect his pre-eminent position
in the party, but a severe setback at the hustings could impact his plans to bring about major changes in the
organisation which he personally believes is inevitable. His operation shake-up, introducing elections at all levels and
opening up the system, could face resistance from the old guard.
BY THE WAY
He has two dogs — both Jack Russels — named Piddi and Tashe

6. SONIA GANDHI Congress president
and UPA chairperson
WHY
She still has the last word in the Congress. Although she has passed on the baton to son Rahul amid speculation over
her health, Gandhi remains the guiding force and final authority — be it on organisational affairs including selection
of chief ministers and policy decisions of the UPA government — and continues to be the UPA fulcrum. Known to be
pragmatic, she continues to be the force behind the government’s populist measures and will take crucial decisions
on alliances.
POWER PUNCH
She pushed for the Food Security Bill in Parliament despite strong reservations by senior party leaders, ministers and
allies like Sharad Pawar.
WHAT NEXT
She has rubbished rumours about retiring from politics. Although a walk into the sunset is being ruled out, it is
certain that she will play a less active role in organisational matters after the Lok Sabha elections. Will play a pivotal
role in the next government formation in the event of the opposition BJP failing to muster requisite numbers.
BY THE WAY
She has a formidable memory, and notices minute details about people, even a hair cut.

7. ARVIND KEJRIWAL AAP leader,
former Delhi chief minister
WHY
For catapulting a 14-month-old political party to power in Delhi. In an election year, he kept his 49-day government in the news
— be it through an ill-timed dharna or by perpetuating his brazen style of politics of naming and shaming. While declaring the
Aam Aadmi Party’s priorities for the Lok Sabha elections, he put out what he claimed was a list of 28 (later revised to 30)
“corrupt” politicians.
POWER PUNCH
Kejriwal’s credibility and hard-hitting style is his party’s USP. He can draw crowds and that makes him the glue in a political party
of limited organisational strength — the AAP top leadership comes from myriad ideological backgrounds and often tends to
make disruptive statements.
WHAT NEXT
Kejriwal may soon find out that being the best known face of a party has its pitfalls. As former psephologist Yogendra Yadav
leads an increasingly shrill demand from within the party for Kejriwal to be PM candidate, the former RTI activist may have to
shed his own reluctance to step out of Delhi just yet.
BY THE WAY
Before his entry into politics, the only time he stood for — and won — an election was for the post of hostel mess secretary at
IIT Kharagpur.

8. J Jayalalithaa Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu
WHY
The formula is rather simple but the potion is potent — her party, AIADMK, has an edge in each of the 40 Lok Sabha
seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and is flexible enough to join the NDA or the third front or any other coalition
of convenience that may emerge post-election. The ongoing trouble in the rival’s family can only help her party.
Little wonder that she is sitting smug, reluctant to gift seats to any.
POWER PUNCH
Permanently securing the rights and quantum of water awarded by the Cauvery water disputes tribunal, which
would go a long way in establishing herself in the delta districts of Tamil Nadu. She, too, has played it up, calling it
the best birthday gift, “a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction” for the first time in her three-decade political career.
WHAT NEXT
Left to her, it would be ‘J Jayalalithaa, 7 RCR, New Delhi’. Or, at the very least, the one sitting in Chennai wielding the
remote control. It all depends on how fractured a verdict India returns in this general election.
BY THE WAY
A Tamil superstar, she featured in a lone Bollywood movie, Izzat (1968), and performed a sizzling item number, Jagi
badan mein jwala

9. MAMATA BANERJEE Chief Minister,
West Bengal
WHY
With both the UPA and NDA trying to woo her, Mamata and her Trinamool Congress are
all set to play a pivotal role in government formation after the Lok Sabha elections.
POWER PUNCH
As an anti-corruption wave sweeps the country, Mamata has got anti-corruption crusader
Anna Hazare to back her for the prime ministerial job.
WHAT NEXT
Trinamool Congress is eyeing a national profile. Besides West Bengal, the party will fight
in some other states too and is looking at post-poll tie-up prospects.
BY THE WAY
She is a serious painter and has an attic stacked with her work

10. MAYAWATI President, Bahujan
Samaj Party
WHY
Her magic may have waned — especially after the drubbing her party got in assembly elections in four
Hindi-speaking states late last year — but her support base in UP will make her influential in the event of
a fractured national mandate this year.
POWER PUNCH
She escaped re-opening of the disproportionate assets case against her after the Supreme Court rejected
a review petition. This now gives her more power to wield in national politics.
WHAT NEXT
With incumbent Samajwadi Party taking a hit in popular perception over its governance in Uttar Pradesh,
she will be focussed on rallying BSP’s committed support base in UP to project herself as the prime
challenger to stall BJP’s rise in the state.
BY THE WAY
She always has a chair with a white towel on it reserved for her in every room where she meets people.
The chair also has a special leg-rest

11. Justice P Sathasivam Chief
Justice of India
WHY
Author of several path-breaking judgments, Justice P Sathasivam has led from the front to have the apex court get down once
again to the serious business of interpretation of laws. While writing an array of judgments on electoral reform and on issues
relating to women and children, Justice Sathasivam, after he assumed the CJI’s office, revived hearing on constitutional matters
and also those pending for years together. Ever since the larger benches have been constituted, the SC has delivered several
landmark verdicts.
POWER PUNCH
Evolving a new jurisprudence on the death penalty, Justice Sathasivam ruled that delay in execution makes the sentencing
barbaric and extra-legal and hence, a prisoner cannot be hanged. The judgment led to a public discourse on the validity of the
death sentence in Indian statutes even as various countries have abolished it. Thanks to his judgment, 18 death row prisoners
have already been spared the gallows.
WHAT NEXT
Justice Sathasivam will decide a bunch of cases relating to the government’s contentious decision to hike the price of natural gas.
The issue will have huge economic as well as political ramifications.
BY THE WAY
The soft-spoken judge was the first graduate in his family.

12. Mohan Bhagwat RSS chief
WHY
With the BJP mounting a fierce campaign to dislodge the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, he
commands authority as the head of the saffron parivar of which BJP remains a part. He has got RSS affiliate
organisations to coordinate with BJP in mass mobilisation programmes in an election year. This wasn’t the case in
the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
POWER PUNCH
He controlled a potential rebellion within the BJP in the run-up to Narendra Modi’s projection as the BJP prime
ministerial candidate. He did not allow BJP veteran L K Advani to scuttle the move and offered him an escape route
after he resigned in protest over Modi’s elevation as chief campaigner.
WHAT NEXT
He will be the final arbiter in terms of organisational reshuffle, of change in the BJP strategy to wrest power after
Lok Sabha elections in case it falls short of numbers.
BY THE WAY
Some of his favourite books are Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of Human Mind by V S Ramachandran
and Sandra Blakeslee, The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi, and Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum.

13. Parveen Kumar Chadha… THINK TANK
(Founder and C.E.O of Saxbee Consultants & Other-Mother )
Email :-saxbeeconsultants@gmail.com
Mobile No. +91-9818308353
Address:-First Floor G-20(A), Kirti Nagar, New Delhi India
Postal Code-110015