J P Nadda is BJP’s new National President..

New Delhi, Jan 20 (HS): Replacing Amit Shah, the BJP has on Monday appointed JP Nadda as its new national president. JP Nadda, as of now, was the working president of the party after Amit Shah was given the responsibility of Home Ministry. All senior party leaders including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Subramanian Swami, Nitin Gadkari, and others arrived at the BJP headquarters today morning to file their nominations in support of JP Nadda.

Nadda has been the choice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister and current BJP President Amit Shah for the job. A formal announcement regarding electing Nadda as party president was made today afternoon after the Prime Minister reached the BJP headquarters.

Earlier in the morning, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh voiced in favor of J P Nadda saying he was sure that the BJP would further grow under the leadership of JP Nadda. “He has organizational qualities and the ability to take everyone along… the party will grow further under his leadership,” said Rajnath Singh.

Another senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy also welcomed the party’s move to elect JP Nadda as Party’s president saying, “I am sure his tenure will be the most harmonious given his nature.”

Elevation of J P Nadda as the party president started on Sunday when Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with the senior party leaders including several Union ministers and chief ministers of the party-ruled states where all the leaders have given a clean chit to Nadda to be elected for party’s top post.

In the morning, JP Nadda along with his wife Mallika Nadda left the residence for BJP headquarters, where the process for nomination for party national president was to begin. Born on December 2, 1960, Nadda was educated at St. Xavier’s School, Patna. Thereafter he did his B.A. from Patna College, Patna University and LL.B. from 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. He was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs during his second term.

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. In 2014, during a cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave J P Nadda the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.