Ahmedabad, Jan 20 (IANS) Political reactions started pouring in Gujarat after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Nitin Nabin as its new national president on Tuesday.
While the ruling party celebrated the move as a boost to organisational momentum, the opposition Congress questioned the transparency and internal democracy of the appointment process.
Gujarat BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma congratulated Nabin on behalf of the state unit, describing his elevation as a moment of renewed enthusiasm for the party.
In an official statement, he said Nabin’s leadership would continue to reflect the BJP’s guiding principle of “Nation First, Party Next, Self Last.”
Vishwakarma highlighted Nabin’s political journey, noting his rise from grassroots activism to the party’s top organisational post as an inspiration for workers.
He added that the BJP’s cadre-driven structure would be further strengthened -- from the booth level to the national level -- under the new leadership.
Earlier in the day, Nabin was officially declared the BJP’s national president at the party headquarters in New Delhi. He was the sole nominee in the organisational election and is the youngest leader to assume the post. A five‑time MLA from Bihar, Nabin succeeds J.P. Nadda, becoming the BJP’s 12th national president.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Congress criticised the appointment, raising concerns over what it termed the BJP’s “centralised” system of leadership.
Party spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi said that while political parties were free to choose their leaders, the BJP’s internal processes reflected an overly concentrated power structure.
“I feel that even in the BJP there is centralised control of power, ” Doshi said, alleging that both the BJP and the RSS followed an ideology that discouraged internal democracy.
He asserted that power had remained confined to a few individuals for more than three decades, leaving regional voices “neither recognised nor heard.”
Doshi further accused the BJP of ignoring key issues such as inflation and unemployment, claiming that dissent within the party was routinely suppressed.