JP Nadda appointed BJP working president for 6 months, Amit Shah to remain party chief

New Delhi, June 17: Senior BJP leader JP Nadda was appointed as the working president of the BJP at the party's parliamentary board meeting on Monday.

"The BJP won several elections under leadership of Amit Shah ji. But since PM appointed him home minister, Amit Shah ji himself said the responsibility of party president should be given to someone else. The BJP parliamentary board has selected JP Nadda as working president," senior leader and defence minister Rajnath Singh told reporters.

According to reports, the board requested Shah to continue till the party's membership drive and organisational elections were completed but he pointed out that being the Union Home Minister he would be engaged in so many other matters.

This is for the first time party has appointed a working president. Shah's tenure ends in December 2019 and he may not like to get an extension as the party has principal of 'one man, one post', reports added.

The fifty-nine-year old BJP leader is the parliamentary board secretary of the BJP and is known as a master strategist amongst the party ranks.

Nadda was given responsibility of Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in which the BJP bagged 62 out of the 80 seats in the politically-critical state.

A three-time MLA, Nadda represents Himachal Pradesh in Rajya Sabha and enjoys the confidence of the party's top brass. He was the health minister in the Modi government in the previous term.

The decision to appoint Nadda came days after the BJP at a meeting of its national office bearers decided to carry out a membership drive to increase its members by 20 per cent followed by the party's organisational polls.