Nitin Nabin Formally Takes Over as BJP National President Today
Nitin Nabin will be formally declared as the next national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party today, January 20. This date holds historical significance for the party. It marks exactly six years since his predecessor, JP Nadda, was appointed as the full-time president of the saffron party.
A Young Leader Steps Up
Nabin, who is 45 years old, was elected unopposed for the post on Monday. He will now become the youngest person ever to occupy the top position in the BJP. The party is looking to further expand its influence into new territories under his leadership.
Nabin is a five-term MLA from Bihar. He emerged as the sole candidate for the national president post. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders filed nomination papers in his support, ensuring his unopposed election.
The party appointed Nabin as its working president on December 14 last year. Interestingly, JP Nadda's path was similar. Nadda was first appointed as the working president in June 2019 before becoming the national president in January 2020. Now, six years later, Nadda's term is concluding. He is set to hand over the reins to Nitin Nabin today.
JP Nadda's Legacy of Expansion
JP Nadda is currently handling the Union Health Ministry. He held this portfolio even during the first term of the Modi government. After Nadda took over as the BJP's 11th national president, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the party would scale new heights under his leadership.
According to news agency PTI, Nadda delivered a notable legacy. He led the party as it consolidated its strongholds and expanded its footprint, despite facing occasional setbacks.
Since Nadda took charge, the BJP has navigated a significant electoral landscape. This period included:
- 33 assembly elections.
- The 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
- The Presidential and Vice Presidential polls.
The BJP stormed back to power for a record third term under PM Modi in the 2024 general elections. In the assembly polls, the BJP won 19 elections. The party retained its key states and made inroads into new ones.
Notable victories under Nadda's watch include:
- Wresting Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan from the Congress.
- Ending Naveen Patnaik's 24-year rule as Odisha chief minister by decimating the BJD in the assembly elections.
- Returning to power in Delhi in 2025 after more than 26 years, defeating the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party.
- Storming to power in Haryana for a third consecutive term.
- Pulling off a stunning performance in Maharashtra, winning a record number of seats.
More recently, the NDA's thumping victory in the Bihar assembly polls towards the end of 2025 consolidated the BJP’s electoral dominance. This was particularly significant after the party's underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
When Nadda assumed the party’s reins on January 20, 2020, the BJP was in power in 15 states. It had its chief ministers in just seven of them. Today, the party holds power in 20 states and Union Territories alongside its NDA partners. The BJP now has its chief ministers in 14 of these states.
Nadda's Political Journey
Before moving to national politics, JP Nadda served three terms as an MLA in Himachal Pradesh. He held state cabinet portfolios including Health and Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs, and later Forest, Environment, Science and Technology. He entered the Rajya Sabha in 2012 and served on several parliamentary standing committees. Nadda was the Union Health Minister from 2014 to 2019 before taking up the party’s top organisational role.
JP Nadda was born to Krishna and Narain Lall Nadda in a Brahmin family on December 2, 1960. He did his schooling from St Xavier’s school in Patna and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Patna University. His father was a professor at Patna University who later served as vice chancellor of Ranchi University.
BJP leaders describe Nadda's journey as a striking testament to discipline, conviction, and unwavering dedication to public life. He was just 15 when he participated in a relay fast in a movement spearheaded by Jai Prakash Narayan.
Nadda became an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the RSS's student wing. He participated in the Sampurna Kranti movement led by Jai Prakash Narayan against the imposition of Emergency in 1975.
After his father's retirement, Nadda relocated with his family to his native place in Himachal Pradesh. There, he continued his activism with the ABVP and also pursued LLB from Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla.
In 1991, Nadda became the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. This brought him in touch with the then BJP chief Murli Manohar Joshi. Nadda won the assembly election from the Bilaspur seat on a BJP ticket. He became the Leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1993. He was re-elected from the seat in 1998 and became a cabinet minister in the BJP government for the first time.
In 2010, the BJP appointed Nadda as the party’s national general secretary. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh in 2012. When Amit Shah took the reins of the BJP as its national president in 2014, Nadda was also made a member of the party’s parliamentary board, its highest decision-making body.
Nadda enjoys warm relations with Prime Minister Modi. Modi was for a long time in charge of the BJP's affairs in Himachal Pradesh. Nadda's steady rise continued when he was appointed as the BJP’s national working president in 2019. He shared Amit Shah's responsibilities after Shah was inducted into Modi's cabinet as Home Minister. Nadda eventually took over as the BJP chief in 2020.
After the BJP-led NDA returned to power for a third consecutive term in 2024, Nadda was appointed as Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare as well as Chemicals and Fertilisers.
Key Developments and Future Outlook
In 2024, Nadda’s statement on the BJP's reliance on its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, caused some uneasiness. Nadda had said in an interview that the party has grown from the time it needed the RSS and is now capable of running its own affairs. He described the RSS as an ideological front that does its own work.
It was during his tenure that the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed some landmark legislations. These included the 2019 abrogation of Article 370. The party was also instrumental in building the Ram Temple, two of its biggest ideological agendas.
The BJP president has always played a significant role in shaping the party’s political course. Leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kushabhau Thakre, Venkaiah Naidu, Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari have all steered the party through various phases. Amit Shah’s tenure from 2014 to 2020 marked the BJP’s most expansive phase at the national level.
Now, as Nitin Nabin prepares to take over as the BJP’s 12th national president, the party is turning its attention to grooming the next generation of leaders and cadre. As the youngest person to assume the post, Nabin is expected to helm a refreshed organisational team. A greater role for younger leaders is anticipated under his presidency.
The formal declaration today signals a new chapter for the BJP as it continues to strategize for future electoral battles and maintain its dominance in Indian politics.
