The question that has lingered, however, is whether Mr Nabin and his mint-fresh peers would carry the necessary heft. Yet, what cannot be denied is the fact that Mr Nabin’s elevation as party president further testifies to the deepening grip of Mr Modi and Mr Shah on the BJP’s organisational edifice. But a string of impressive electoral victories in subsequent assembly polls has ensured that Mr Modi prevails in this internal battle within the sangh parivar. Strikingly, for all his deference to the new president, it was Mr Modi who set the agenda — ideological andorganisational — for the ‘boss’. Doing so under the watch of Mr Modi, the BJP’s tallest leader but also authoritarian in temperament, remains a formidable task.

Source: The Telegraph January 22, 2026 02:41 UTC