The road to the BJP headquarters in the heart of New Delhi on Monday was lined with posters welcoming the party’s new National Working President Nitin Nabin, who until yesterday was largely known only to Bihar voters and those closely following state politics.
The posters, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief J P Nadda flanking him, had in just 24 hours catapulted him to another level, in league with the saffron party’s top leadership.
BJP’s top leadership, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Nadda, was there to welcome him at the party office.
After Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and his counterparts in Madhya Pradesh (Mohan Yadav) and Odisha (Mohan Majhi), Nabin is the latest name in the BJP’s list of low-profile choices for top posts.
The reasons are many—one of the key factors being the party’s preference for saffron background, organisational discipline, and loyalty over personal charisma. “Such selections emphasise cadre-building and grassroots execution. Nabin’s selection is the recognition of his role in the youth wing as state in-charge and in electoral victories,” party leaders say.
Essentially, Nabin’s relatively low national profile underscores the BJP’s preference for promotion based on proven organisational loyalty rather than years of public fame. This approach of rewarding silent workers, rooted in ideology, encourages youth participation in the future and helps strengthen regions without individual egos disrupting broader strategies, they add.
Low-profile leaders bring other advantages to the table. They align easily with central directives and minimise factional rivalries. Such figures are also less likely to challenge the high command, thereby concentrating authority and credit for electoral claims where the top leadership wants.
BJP leaders give various reasons for Nabin’s selection—such as his grassroots experience, consecutive electoral wins, leadership roles in the youth wing, election management skills, and in-charge responsibilities; the list is long.
His selection is proof that the senior leadership values cadre-building capabilities, as also reflected in Prime Minister Modi’s praise for Nabin’s hard work despite his limited media presence, they add. PM Modi praised Nabin as a hardworking ‘karyakarta’ with rich experience as an MLA and minister, noting his humility and dedication to public aspirations.
His elevation strengthens the BJP’s presence in eastern India, particularly Bihar, where the party emerged as the single largest in recent elections, and signals rewards for regions where the party hopes to expand—such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala—while offering hope to hardworking, young leaders engaged in party-building efforts.
His age holds an added advantage—the selection of 45-year-old Nabin reflects the party’s confidence in young leaders, marking a generational shift. At this age, Nabin has already built a long political career, and his elevation recognises youth, energy, and organisational skills—an inspiration to others.
The fact is, in the current BJP setup, it is never easy to predict names, and speculations about Nadda’s possible successors included who’s who in the BJP hierarchy—Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Bhupender Yadav, Nirmala Sitharaman and names like BL Santhosh, Vinod Tawde, and Devendra Fadnavis.
But the BJP stuck with its track record of springing surprises while making appointments.