Newly appointed BJP national working president Nitin Nabin on Monday termed his elevation as a blessing of the party and thanked its leadership for the trust reposed in him.

Nabin, who is Bihar’s PWD minister, pledged to carry forward the work of his late father and former BJP MLA Nabin Kishor Prasad Sinha. He was speaking to reporters on Monday morning after paying floral tributes to a statue of his father at a park in Patna.

“I have always worked on the ideas of my father, who considered the party as his mother and prioritised the nation over everything. I think that is the reason the party has blessed me with this opportunity to continue working with BJP workers,” he said.

The BJP leader also visited Patna’s Mahavir Mandir to offer prayers.

Appointed on Sunday as the BJP national working president, Nabin is likely to eventually succeed JP Nadda as the party’s national president, a move that signals a generational shift in the ruling party.

Expressing gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nabin praised his leadership and said, “Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, development has reached every town and village of the country. At the same time, Bharatiya Janata Party has also expanded its footprint and stands today as the party of the poor.”

He emphasised that “no class in India today is left untouched” by the development schemes of the NDA government and said Prime Minister Modi has taken the idea of ‘Antyodaya’ to every nook and corner of the country.

“Antyodaya was pioneered by personalities like Deendayal Upadhyaya and Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and promoted by Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” Nabin said, adding that “now PM Modi has taken it to every village and town of the nation”.

On the party’s strategy for the West Bengal elections, he said, “Be it Bengal, Assam or Uttar Pradesh, our party workers are always ready. This is the beauty of Bharatiya Janata Party. Others work during elections, but BJP karyakartas work 24x7.”

Nabin, 45, is considered dynamic, ideologically rooted and deeply committed to the organisation, party leaders said. He comes from an RSS background and is a five-time MLA representing the Bankipur assembly constituency in Bihar. He has served twice as a minister in the state government.

The BJP leadership on Sunday appointed the young and relatively low-profile Bihar minister Nitin Nabin as the party’s national working president, a surprise elevation that appeared to underscore the iron grip Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah wield over the organisation.

The 45-year-old Nabin, currently the road construction minister in the Nitish Kumar government, is set to succeed J.P. Nadda as the BJP national president. With the battle for the politically most crucial state now won, Modi and Shah moved swiftly to settle the question of national leadership, party insiders said.

Nabin’s appointment represented a stunning elevation for a junior leader. Shortly after the party’s highest decision-making body, the parliamentary board, made the appointment, Prime Minister Modi publicly endorsed the decision.

“Shri Nitin Nabin Ji has distinguished himself as a hardworking karyakarta. He is a young and industrious leader with rich organisational experience and an impressive record as an MLA as well as a minister in Bihar for multiple terms,” Modi posted on X.

“He has diligently worked to fulfill people’s aspirations and is known for his humble and grounded style of functioning. I am confident that his energy and dedication will strengthen our party in the times to come.”

Nadda, too, had been appointed working president in 2019 after Shah, the then party chief, joined the Modi government as home minister, and was formally elected BJP president in January 2020. Nabin is expected to follow a similar trajectory.

The selection of Nadda’s successor had been delayed due to a prolonged tussle between the BJP and its parent organisation, the RSS. The Sangh had pushed for a “strong organisational leader” rather than a “rubber stamp” who could dilute Modi-Shah’s dominance and steer the party in a post-Modi era.

Nabin’s appointment, however, is seen by many as a win for the Modi-Shah camp. “Forget the country, he has little face recognition even in Bihar outside Patna,” a BJP leader said. “Several ministers in the Bihar government and at the Centre are far senior to him. He has never worked in the central party organisation. How can one expect him to function independently?”

The BJP leadership has sought to project the appointment as a generational shift, describing Nabin as a fourth-generation politician whose elevation signals a forward-looking, future-ready plan.

Shah praised Nabin’s organisational credentials, saying, “Whether as national general secretary of the BJP Yuva Morcha, as state president of the youth wing in Bihar, or as state-in-charge for Chhattisgarh, he has discharged every organisational responsibility with dedication and success.”

He added that Nabin’s promotion was an “honour for every young BJP worker”.

Party veterans suggested that recent appointments in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi are part of a broader tussle to shape the party’s post-Modi future. Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are widely seen as the principal contenders to succeed Modi.

“Shah lacks Adityanath’s popular appeal and is therefore trying to consolidate his control over the organisation. For now, he appears to have scored a point,” a BJP veteran said.

Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls in early 2027, and Shah will be calling the shots through Chaudhary, insiders said.

Modi-Shah’s control over the party had weakened after the BJP fell short of a majority in the last general election, allowing the RSS to attempt to assert greater influence. However, successive Assembly election victories — in Haryana and Maharashtra, followed by a landslide win in Bihar — have restored much of the duo’s political capital.

“The Bihar victory has significantly strengthened Shah’s hand, as he was the chief strategist. It’s no coincidence that the appointments in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi were cleared after Bihar,” a BJP leader said. “A leader from Bihar has been rewarded.”

Sangh insiders said Modi and Shah had initially pushed for Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan or environment minister Bhupender Yadav as BJP president, with Nabin eventually cleared as a compromise candidate.

Nabin, an upper-caste Kayastha, reiterated his appreciation for the party’s top leadership. “I have the Prime Minister’s blessings, and I will further advance the guidance and leadership he has provided,” he told reporters in Patna.