I am party worker and Nitin Nabin is my boss: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Nitin Nabin on his election as the BJP National President and said that now Nabin will serve as his “boss”, and he will be the “worker” of the party.

Nitin Nabin was elected the BJP National President during the organisational event (Sangathan Parv) at the party headquarters in New Delhi, becoming the youngest leader to hold the post.

Outgoing BJP national president J.P. Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari felicitated the newly-elected BJP National President Nabin at the party headquarters in Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, “For the past several months, the organisational election process has been underway for electing leaders from the smallest units of the party to the National President in a democratic manner, keeping in mind the spirit and every provision of the BJP’s constitution.”

“Today, the process is formally concluded. This grand organisational election process is a symbol of the BJP’s democratic faith, organisational discipline, and worker-centric approach. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the party workers across the country for making this process a success,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the leadership is “guided by tradition, enriched by experience, and advances the organisation with a spirit of public service and national service”.

He said that the years of experience he has in politics, including that of serving as the head of the government, cannot be compared to the fact that “first and foremost, I am a worker of the BJP. I am very proud of it”.

“When it comes to the party affairs, then I am a worker, and Nitin Nabin is my boss,” he said amid loud sloganeering at the BJP headquarters on Tuesday.

Calling Nabin a “millennial”, PM Modi said, “This is the 21st century and just like that, the first 25 years of this century have passed by. The coming 25 years are very significant. It is a period when a ‘Viksit Bharat’ will be formed. In this important period, our Nitin Nabin ji will take forward the BJP’s heritage. If I go by today’s lingo, then Nitin Nabin himself is a millennial. He is from a generation which has seen big economic, societal and technological transformations. He is from a generation which got information from the radio and today, uses AI.”

Nabin has “youth energy” as well as a “long experience in the organisation”, the Prime Minister said, adding that these will be “very beneficial” to the party.

Recalling the contributions of the party leaders throughout the years, PM Modi said, “Under the leadership of Atal ji, Advani ji and Murali Manohar Joshi ji, the BJP saw a journey from zero to the summit. In this century, leaders like M. Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari, along with many of our senior colleagues, expanded the organisation. Under the leadership of Rajnath ji, for the first time, the BJP achieved a full majority on its own.”

“Then, under the leadership of Amit Shah, the BJP formed governments in many states and came to power at the Centre for a second consecutive term. Then under the leadership of J.P. Nadda, the BJP grew stronger from the panchayat to Parliament,” he said.

PM Modi also paid homage to the founding members of Jana Sangh during the event.

He further said that the BJP is a culture and a family, where “relationships go beyond mere memberships”.

“The BJP is a tradition that is driven by process, not by position. Our presidents change, but our ideals do not. The leadership changes, but the direction remains the same. The BJP’s spirit is national, because our connection is local. Our roots run deep in the soil. That is why the BJP provides a platform for regional aspirations,” he said.

“That is why today people from every corner of the nation are joining the BJP… Not only that, anyone who wants to begin their political journey finds the BJP’s entry point to be the best and safest option,” he said.

The Prime Minister further said that the BJP has made “service” rather than “comfort” its priority.

Nadda also congratulated the newly-elected party chief and said, “Today is a very historic occasion, when our young, energetic, and talented Nitin Nabin is taking charge as the National President of the world’s largest political party, BJP. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to him on my behalf and on behalf of crores of workers.”

“Nitin ji, who is fundamentally a grassroots worker, is mature in ideological background and has served as an MLA five times at a very young age and is currently also an MLA… Such a young, energetic, talented personality has taken up the responsibility as the National President. Heartiest congratulations to you, very best wishes,” he added.

Nadda further expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for “providing vision to the party” and giving them the “privilege to work and the strength that enabled us to accomplish these tasks”.

“Despite being the Prime Servant of the country, despite remaining extremely busy, the attention you paid to the smallest details of the party and the contribution you made in taking the party forward — I want to thank you for that,” he added.

As the sole candidate, Nabin was formally elected by the electoral college comprising members of the BJP’s national council and state councils.

The process aligns with BJP rules, which require a candidate to be proposed by at least 20 electoral college members from a state and to have a minimum of 15 years of party membership.

Nabin’s rise is seen as a strategic move to infuse youthful leadership into the party organisation while preserving continuity.

IANS