BJP’s newly anointed National Working President Nitin Nabin is expected to be elevated as the party’s full-fledged national president in January 2026 following the formal electoral process through the BJP’s national council. The anticipated transition is likely to take place after the ‘Khar Maas’—the period considered inauspicious for major ceremonial events in Hindu traditions—according to sources.
Nabin’s surprise appointment to the position came just ahead of the ‘Khar Maas,’ which began on December 16, coinciding with the Sun’s transit through Sagittarius (Dhanu Rashi). Traditionally among Hindus, the emphasis is on spiritual reflection, charity, and worship during the period. According to mythology, the period gets its name from the belief that the Sun God’s chariot is drawn by donkeys (khar) rather than horses, symbolising a pause in celebratory pursuits.
Such considerations hold cultural significance, and the saffron party’s key decisions also try to follow them.
In the Hindu calendar, certain periods are traditionally considered inauspicious for starting major or celebratory activities (weddings, house-warmings, business launches etc) such as ‘Khar Maas’, ‘Adhik Maas’ (Purushottam Maas) when an extra lunar month added roughly every 32–33 months to align the lunar and solar calendars, ‘Chaturmas’ when Lord Vishnu is believed to be in ‘Yog Nidra’; and ‘Pitru Paksha’—a 15-day lunar fortnight dedicated to ancestors.
No specific date has yet been finalised for Nabin’s transition; however, party sources confirm that the 45-year-old Bihar minister assumed charge as Working President immediately after the BJP Parliamentary Board’s decision and before the ‘Khar Maas’ started. Nabin was appointed as the party’s National Working President on December 14, and he assumed office the next day on December 15.
Usually, the appointment is considered a sure stepping stone to the top post, as in the case of current party president J P Nadda’s elevation in the past but the BJP’s central leadership is known for springing surprises, and no outcome can be considered a certainty until the formal process is completed.
So far, no specific date has been confirmed for Nabin’s transition, and all eyes are on January, when ‘Khar Maas’ will end. The current ‘Khar Maas’ began on December 16 and will end on January 14, 2026, coinciding with Makar Sankranti when the Sun will enter Capricorn.