Nitin Nabin, born in 1980 and the youngest person to become the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was elected unopposed. Within the deeply contested caste landscape of BJP strongholds, his social location and demeanour would be considered benign, which works to his advantage. The BJP is riding a tiger on the issue of communal politics, and Mr. Nabin has the unenviable challenge of disembarking from it. He was chosen President after several months of negotiations between the RSS and the BJP leadership, in which the BJP got the upper hand. As a young leader who potentially has several decades more of active politics ahead, Mr. Nabin must reassure his senior colleagues but cannot afford to end up becoming inconsequential in the process.

Source: The Hindu February 11, 2026 19:27 UTC