By Matters India Reporter

New Delhi, Jan 20, 2020: Jagat Prakash Nadda, a former student of St Xavier’s School, Patna, was on January 20 elected unopposed the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party that heads the federal coalition government.

Nadda emerged as the only leader in the fray following the nomination process where his candidature was endorsed by top party leaders.

Senior BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh, who is the in-charge of the organizational election process, made the announcement at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

Outgoing president Amit Shah and other senior leaders congratulated the Himachal Pradesh leader, who had been serving as the party’s working president. He will serve for three years at the helm.

Nadda, who was appointed BJP’s working president in June 2019, took over from Shah, who was at a helm for five-and-a-half years.

Nadda’s name was proposed by the top party leaders, including federal ministers Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, besides several chief ministers during the nomination process.

Nadda was born on December 2, 1960 to Narain Lall Nadda and Krishna Nadda

After completing studies at St. Xavier’s School, he did his B.A. from Patna College, Patna University, and law from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. As a child, he represented Bihar in the All India Junior Swimming Championship held at Delhi. Nadda married Mallika and they have two sons.

Nadda was first elected to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1993, and re-elected five years later.

Federal Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke of Nadda’s rise through the ranks and said he had always been an “inspiring” worker.

Prasad noted that the leader from Himachal Pradesh worked his way up as an “excellent” organizational leader, be it in the RSS students’ wing ABVP or the BJP youth wing, and was also a successful health minister in the first Modi government.

“He brings with him an enormous experience, be it as a party leader or administrator,” Prasad told PTI, expressing confidence that Nadda would consolidate the great successes the party achieved under Shah.

Various party leaders congratulated Nadda and expressed confidence in his leadership abilities.

Shah said that under his successor’s leadership the party will become stronger and expand further.