The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set for a significant leadership transition as its national working president, Nitin Nabin, to file his nomination for the post of party national president at the party headquarters in Delhi on Monday. The event turned into a formidable show of strength, with nearly all BJP chief ministers, state unit presidents, and senior leaders in attendance, underscoring the unified backing for the leader from Bihar.
Nitin Nabin, recently appointed as the national working president, is expected to be elected unopposed as the BJP's 12th national president. Party sources indicate that his candidature has the full support of the top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The nomination filing, scheduled between 2 pm and 4 pm, became the focal point of the day. The presence of the party’s top brass, including a majority of chief ministers and Union ministers, at the party headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg sent a clear message of organisational solidarity. The visual of senior leaders rallying behind Nabin highlighted the smooth succession plan within the world's largest political party.
According to the schedule announced by BJP national returning officer K Laxman, the scrutiny of nomination papers will take place from 4 pm to 5 pm today. Candidates have the window to withdraw their nominations between 5 pm and 6 pm on the same day. Given the overwhelming consensus, no contest is anticipated.
"The polling will be held, if needed, on January 20 and an official announcement of the name of the new BJP national president will be made the same day," Laxman had stated on Friday.
The BJP national president is elected by an electoral college comprising representatives from the party's national council and various state councils. The party’s constitution lays down specific criteria for the candidate:
The nomination must be proposed jointly by at least 20 members of a state’s electoral college.
The nominee must have completed four terms as an active party member with a minimum of 15 years of membership.
Crucially, such joint proposals must come from at least five states where elections to the national council have been completed.
The entire process is conducted under the supervision of the national returning officer, ensuring adherence to internal democratic norms.
The incoming president, Nitin Nabin, is a seasoned BJP leader from Bihar with deep political roots. Born in Patna, he is the son of the late Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha, a respected BJP leader and former MLA. Nabin entered active politics after his father's passing and carved out a distinct identity through relentless grassroots work.
A five-time MLA, he has represented the Bankipur Assembly constituency in Patna since a by-election victory in 2006, winning consecutively in 2010, 2015, 2020, and the recently held 2025 polls. In the latest election, he secured a decisive victory with a margin exceeding 51,000 votes, cementing his reputation as a formidable campaigner.
Within the Bihar government, Nabin holds the crucial portfolios of Road Construction and Urban Development in the Nitish Kumar-led NDA ministry. He is widely credited with being a key architect in managing the BJP's strategic alliance with the JD(U) and contributing significantly to the NDA's electoral successes in the state.
His influence extends beyond Bihar; he has previously served as the BJP's in-charge for Chhattisgarh, a role that showcased his organisational skills on the national stage and marked him as a leader with pan-India appeal within the party framework.
With today's nomination, Nitin Nabin is on the cusp of assuming one of the most pivotal roles in Indian politics, tasked with steering the BJP through the upcoming national and state electoral cycles. His election, likely to be formalised on Tuesday, marks the rise of a leader known for his organisational acumen and electoral prowess to the party's highest organisational post.
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