NEW DELHI, INDIA – In a bold move signaling a generational pivot to capture India’s youth vote, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday appointed 45-year-old Nitin Nabin as its youngest-ever president, replacing the outgoing J.P. Nadda just months before pivotal state elections.
Nabin, a five-time legislator from Bihar, India’s economically challenged eastern state, was elected unopposed as the party’s 12th president. The announcement came amid the BJP’s aggressive push into West Bengal, a region it has yet to conquer, where upcoming polls could reshape the political landscape.
At the party’s New Delhi headquarters, hundreds of BJP workers witnessed the ceremonial handover. Nabin took the oath of office, his forehead adorned with a traditional vermillion mark and shoulders draped in a scarf bearing the party’s lotus symbol, in the presence of Modi and four former presidents.
Modi, 75, addressed the gathering with characteristic humility, pointing to Nabin and declaring, “When it comes to the party, I am a worker and he is my boss.” Nabin, set to serve a three-year term, used his acceptance speech to hail Modi as a “generational leader” while calling on India’s youth to dive into politics.
This leadership shift comes at a critical juncture. Over 40 percent of India’s one billion voters fall between 18 and 39, according to Election Commission data and analysts. The BJP faced a stunning rebuke in the 2024 general elections, where Modi lost his absolute majority after a decade in power and leaned on regional allies to govern.
Yet the party has bounced back strongly, clinching key state and municipal victories since then. Today, the BJP and its allies hold sway in 19 of India’s 28 states, bolstering its momentum ahead of battles like West Bengal. Nabin’s elevation underscores the BJP’s strategy to refresh its image and energize a demographic that could prove decisive in sustaining Modi’s dominance.