The Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary Board on Sunday appointed Bihar cabinet minister Nitin Nabin as the party’s new working president, with immediate effect. The term of the current BJP president JP Nadda had formally ended in 2024 but was extended in view of the general elections held earlier this year.
Nabin will lead the party as it prepares for upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, unless the BJP announces a new full-time national president before the polls are scheduled. He takes over the role from Nadda, who was first appointed working president in June 2019 after Amit Shah assumed charge as Union home minister, and was later elected unopposed as national president in January 2020.
In January 2024, the BJP’s national executive committee had decided to extend Nadda’s tenure until the completion of the general elections. According to the party constitution, the BJP president can serve two consecutive terms of three years each, and is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the national and state councils. The election process begins with a membership drive and organisational polls at the mandal, district and state levels in at least half of the states.
At 45, Nabin is the youngest BJP working president, reflecting the party’s stated emphasis on promoting younger leaders. He brings nearly two decades of organisational experience, having risen through the party’s youth wing in Bihar and handled key election responsibilities across states.
Party leaders say his elevation was influenced by his understanding of organisational work, alignment with the leadership’s functioning style, and ability to manage challenging political assignments. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is said to have first noticed his work during BJP campaigns in Chhattisgarh and later involved him in the party’s Delhi campaign, which helped the BJP return to power in the capital after nearly three decades.
A five-time MLA and a senior minister in the Bihar government, Nabin is the first BJP working president from Bihar and eastern India. His appointment is expected to be ratified by the party’s national executive early next year.
Nabin was reportedly unaware of his appointment on the morning it was announced and was attending a felicitation programme for BJP workers following the party’s recent victory. The BJP is projecting his elevation as a signal to the cadre and a generational shift, in contrast to the Congress, which continues to be led by 84-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge.
Young and hardworking Karyakarta’: PM Modi on new BJP Working President
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated Bihar Minister Nitin Nabin upon his appointment as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Working President.
In an X post, PM Modi lauded Nitin Nabin as a “young and hardworking Karyakarta with rich organisational experience.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also congratulated Nitin Nabin earlier.
(With inputs from agencies)
