Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday elected a little-known lawmaker from India's poorest state as its youngest party president, a generational change in a bid to retain young voters.
Nitin Nabin (45) takes over from outgoing president JP Nadda (65), just months ahead of crucial state elections, including in the eastern state of West Bengal, which the BJP has never won and on which it is strongly focused.
Nabin, a five-time MP from the eastern state of Bihar, was elected unanimously as the party's 12th president, after being nominated by Modi and other leaders.
Hundreds of activists watched at the party headquarters in New Delhi as Nabin, his forehead smeared with red sindoor and draped in a scarf bearing the party symbol, took the oath before Modi and four former presidents.
"When it comes to the party, I am a worker and he is my boss," Modi, 75, said in an address, pointing to Nabin, who will serve a three-year term.
In his speech, Nabin repeatedly praised Modi as a leader of his generation and urged the youth to actively participate in politics.
More than 40 percent of India's one billion voters are between the ages of 18 and 39, the election commission and analysts estimate.
The BJP suffered a shocking setback in the 2024 general elections, as Modi, after ten years in power, lost his majority and had to rely on regional allies to form a government.
However, the party has since regained momentum, winning key state and local elections. The party and its allies govern 19 of India's 28 states.
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