New Delhi: BJP working president Jagat Prakash Nadda today officially took over the reins of the BJP from Amit Shah. He is first from the state of Himachal Pradesh to lead a national party.
Most of BJP’s leaders, including Union ministers and party Chief Ministers, were present at the BJP headquarters to file nominations in support of Nadda.
Senior BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh, who is in charge of the organisational election process, had announced the schedule after the party’s internal poll exercise was completed in 21 of the BJP’s 36 state and Union territory units.
Nadda’s name was proposed by Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari — the party’s ex-chiefs and parliamentary board members.
Nadda was appointed as the party’s working president in July last year in an indication that the Himachal Pradesh leader was the likely choice for the top organisational job.
JP Nadda was born on 2 December 1960 to Narain Lall Nadda and Krishna Nadda. He was educated at St. Xavier’s School, Patna. Thereafter he did his graduation from Patna College and studied Law at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.
Nadda was first elected to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the election of 1993, he was subsequently re-elected in 1998. During his first term, he served as the Leader of his party group in the H.P. Legislative Assembly, from 1994 to 1998.
Nadda was elected for another term in the 2007 elections. After Prem Kumar Dhumal formed a government, he inducted Nadda in his cabinet, as cabinet minister responsible for Forest, Environment, Science and Technology, from 2008 to 2010.
Nadda did not seek re-election to the Legislative Assembly in 2012, and instead got elected to Rajya Sabha, Indian Parliament’s upper chamber. In 2014, during a cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Nadda, the Minister of Health.
Prime Minister Narender Modi congratulated JP Nadda for becoming party president. He said that Nadda has added value to any responsibility he has held and hoped that party would scale new height during his presidency.
Union Home Minister and former Party president Amit Shah congratulated Nadda and asked him to lead the party from the front.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur congratulated Jagat Prakash Nadda on becoming National President of BJP. He wished him a successful tenure and said that it was a proud moment for Himachal when a leader of the state attains the topmost position in the party organization.
