- Mr Modi began his political journey as an activist in Patna University, where he was elected general-secretary of the students’ union in 1973.
- Mr Modi served as deputy to Janata Dal (United) chief and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for approximately 11 years.
- He won the Bihar assembly elections three times between 1990 and 2004. From 1996 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly.
- Mr Modi was appointed BJP’s national vice president in 2003, a position that he held till 2005.
- Mr Modi held a BSc (Hons) in Botany from Patna University. He is survived by wife Jessie George, a college professor, and two sons – Utkarsh Tathagat, and Akshay Amritanshu.