Modi-Shah's trusted lieutenant J P Nadda takes over as BJP president

New Delhi, Jan 20: BJP leader J P Nadda on Monday took over as the new party president after emerging as the only leader in the fray following the nomination process in which his candidature was endorsed by top party leaders.

Senior BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh, who is the incharge of the organisational election process, made the announcement at the party headquarters.

Outgoing president Amit Shah and other senior leaders congratulated the Himachal Pradesh leader, who had been serving as the party's working president. He will serve for three years at the helm.

Nadda, who was appointed as BJP's working president last June, will take over from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was at a helm for eventful five-and-a-half years during which the party won its biggest majority in 2019 Lok Sabha election and expanded its footprint across the country.

Nadda's name was proposed by the top party leaders, including Union ministers Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, besides several chief ministers during the nomination process.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to felicitate Nadda at the party office and both leaders will later hold a meeting with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of the states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke of Nadda's rise through the ranks and said he had always been an "inspiring" worker.

Prasad noted that the leader from Himachal Pradesh worked his way up as an "excellent" organisational leader, be it in the RSS students' wing ABVP or the BJP youth wing, and was also a successful health minister in the first Modi government. "He brings with him an enormous experience, be it as a party leader or administrator," Prasad told PTI, expressing confidence that Nadda would consolidate the great successes the party achieved under Shah.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the party organisation had been in a strong and robust condition under Shah, and Nadda would build on it to ensure more success for the BJP in future.

Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar hailed Nadda for being accessible and also his simplicity.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP vice president Raman Singh expressed confidence that the "golden era" the BJP had under Shah would continue.

Nadda, considered an affable and accessible politician, enjoys a good rapport with all top party leaders. He is seen as a seasoned organisation man, who was associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) from his college days before joining the youth wing of the BJP and rising through its ranks. Nadda has also served as a minister in the BJP governments in Himachal Pradesh and at the Centre.