BJP elects Nitin Nabin as national president; PM Modi calls him ‘boss’

New Delhi, Jan 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Tuesday, elected Bihar politician Nitin Nabin as its new national president, succeeding Union Health Minister J P Nadda.

Nabin was elected during the party’s organisational event, Sangathan Parv, at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, becoming the youngest leader to hold the post.

Outgoing BJP national president J P Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari felicitated Nabin following his election.

Addressing party leaders and workers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nabin and remarked that he would now serve as the party’s “worker”, while the new president would be his “boss”.

“When it comes to party affairs, I am a worker and Nitin Nabin is my boss,” the Prime Minister said, amid loud sloganeering at the party headquarters.

The Prime Minister also referred to the organisational election process, saying it had been conducted over several months in a democratic manner, from the party’s smallest units to the election of the national president, in keeping with the spirit and provisions of the BJP’s constitution.

Describing Nabin as a “millennial”, Modi said the new BJP chief belonged to a generation that had witnessed major economic, social and technological transformations, moving from an era of radio to the use of artificial intelligence.

Nabin was the sole candidate for the post and was formally elected by the BJP’s electoral college, which comprises members of the party’s national council and state councils.

As per BJP rules, a candidate must be proposed by at least 20 electoral college members from a state and have a minimum of 15 years of party membership.

Meanwhile, the Central government has accorded top-tier armed VIP security to Nabin.

Officials said the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will provide him Z-category security. The Union Home Ministry had instructed the CRPF to take over his security a few weeks ago following his announcement as the new BJP leader.

Armed CRPF commandos will accompany him during his travels across the country.

A five-time MLA from Bihar, Nabin is known within the party for his organisational skills. He has previously served as BJP in-charge for states such as Chhattisgarh and played a key role in alliance-building efforts.

Since taking charge as working president, he has focused on preparations for upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry.

His elevation is being viewed within the party as an attempt to bring youthful energy into the BJP’s leadership while maintaining continuity with its ideological and organisational framework.

With inputs from agencies