Indian Prime Minister Modi’s party elects youngest president ever, eyes youth vote | The Express Stand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday elected a little-known lawmaker from India’s poorest state as the party’s youngest president. In doing so, he marks a generational change aimed at retaining young voters.

Nitin Nabin, 45, takes over from outgoing President JP Nadda, 65, months ahead of key state elections, including in West Bengal, a state the BJP has never won but is strongly targeting.

Nabin, a five-time lawmaker from the eastern state of Bihar, was elected unopposed as the BJP’s 12th president after Modi and other leaders introduced him. Hundreds of party workers watched at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi as Nabin, with his forehead smeared with vermilion and his shoulders wrapped in a scarf with the party symbol, took the oath of office in front of Modi and four former presidents.

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“When it comes to the party, I am a worker and he is my boss,” the 75-year-old Modi said, pointing to Nabin, who will serve a three-year term.

In his speech, Nabin hailed Modi as a leader of the generation and urged youth to actively participate in politics. According to Election Commission data and analysts, more than 40% of India’s billion voters are between the ages of 18 and 39.

The BJP suffered a shocking setback in the 2024 general elections, when Modi lost his parliamentary majority after a decade in power and had to rely on regional allies to form a government. Since then, the party has gained ground and won key state and civic elections. The BJP and its allies now rule 19 of India’s 28 states.