Nitin Nabin is set to be named president of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday, with no other candidates in the fray. The elevation of Nabin, 45, the youngest to hold the all-important post, is seen as a generational shift in the party’s leadership.
On Monday, K Laxman, the Returning Officer for the election accepted 37 sets of nomination papers backing Nabin’s candidacy–36 from states and UTs and one from the parliamentary party, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Puri, outgoing president JP Nadda, and several other members backed the nomination of the working president who is also a five-term legislator from Bihar. Nabin will be the 12th president of the party.
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The nomination process, at the BJP’s headquarters in the Capital also saw chief ministers and state BJP presidents of several states and UTs including Delhi, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh backing his candidature.
Nabin, will lead the party for the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and the UT of Puducherry. He will also oversee the organisational overhaul that has been pending for over a year.
{{/usCountry}}Nabin, will lead the party for the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and the UT of Puducherry. He will also oversee the organisational overhaul that has been pending for over a year.
{{/usCountry}}A five-term legislator from Bihar, Nabin is the youngest person to be the president of the party since current Union home minister Amit Shah, who became party president in 2014 at the age of 49.
Explaining the election process, Laxman said the Sangathan Parv, as the organisational polls are being referred to, was initiated after the election of 30 state presidents (out of 36 States). The process of electing the national president can begin once elections are completed in 50% of the states.
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“On 16th January 2026, Notification of Schedule of Events was announced and the electoral roll was published. As per the schedule, today, the nomination process was completed between 2 pm and 4 pm and 37 sets of nomination papers were received in favour of Nitin Nabin for the post of National President,” Laxman added.
There are no other candidates in the fray.
With the selection of Nabin for the top post, the party has signalled a generational shift, which will give a platform to the younger generation. Coming organisational appointments are expected to follow the same template.
Senior party leaders said the Sangathan Parv is an illustration of the party’s internal democracy. “...While other parties remain confined to family-centric politics, the BJP is the only party that selects its leadership in a transparent, participatory, and democratic manner, from the booth level to the national level,” the party’s official statement on the polls read.
To be sure, Nabin’s name wasn’t one of those doing the rounds of political circles as a possible replacement for Nadda.
Earlier in the day, deputy chief minister of Bihar, Samrat Choudhary hailed Nabin before he (Nabin) filed his papers.
“...It is a moment of joy for Bihar and a historic day for the Bharatiya Janata Party as the youngest national president, Nitin Nabin, will file his nomination today...,” he said.
Former union minister Anurag Thakur, who was the head of the Yuva Morcha (youth wing) when Nabin was its general secretary said, “ The BJP’s decision to select Nitin Nabin is not only a matter of pride for the party but also the nation. This is a big message from PM Modi to Gen Z, inviting them to join politics...In the coming elections, we will fight under the leadership of Nitin Nabin, and PM Modi’s popularity will help us win.”