Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday formally announced Bihar MLA Nitin Nabin as its new national president at a ceremony held at the party headquarters in the national capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former BJP president J.P. Nadda and senior Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari were among those who greeted Nabin after the announcement.

K. Laxman, the returning officer for the BJP’s organisational polls, declared the results and handed over the certificate of election to the 45-year-old leader, making him the youngest person to hold the party’s top post.

Nabin, a five-time MLA from Bihar, was elected unopposed on January 19 after a day-long nomination process at the BJP headquarters, where he emerged as the sole candidate. Rajya Sabha member K. Laxman said that 37 sets of nomination papers were filed in his favour and were found valid after scrutiny.

He had earlier been appointed as the BJP’s national working president on December 14, following an 18-month search process, a move widely seen as an indication of the party high command’s choice for the national president’s post.

Nabin becomes the 12th national president of the BJP since its formation in 1980 — the same year he was born.

Addressing party workers at the event, J.P. Nadda described the occasion as historic and congratulated Nabin, calling him a young, energetic and talented leader taking charge of the world’s largest political party.