Nitin Nabin with J P Nadda
Credit: PTI Photo
Nitin Nabin, who took over as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president from J P Nadda on Tuesday, is the youngest ever to occupy the post. He was elected unopposed to the post on Monday.
Nabin's appointment signals a generational shift in the top organisational leadership of the party which was founded in 1980, the same year he was born.
Here is a list of past presidents of the BJP.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee — 1980 to 1986
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
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After the BJP was formed in 1980, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became its first president. He later became the Prime Minister and the only BJP president to serve in that position till date.
Lal Krishna Advani — 1986 to 1991, 1993 to 1998 and 2004 to 2005
L K Advani
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L K Advani was the party president for three terms. He succeeded Vajpayee as president in 1986. He was re-elected to the post in 1993 and was at the helm till 1998.
He assumed the post for the third time in 2004 after M Venkaiah Naidu resigned following the general elections. Advani resigned from the post in 2005 after his description of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a secular leader caused a controversy.
Murli Manohar Joshi — 1991 to 1993
Murli Manohar Joshi.
Credit: KPN File Photo
Like L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi played a large role in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Later, he became a Cabinet Minister in the governments headed by Vajpayee.
Kushabhau Thakre — 1998 to 2000
Kushabhau Thakre
Bangaru Laxman — 2000–2001
Bangaru Laxman
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Bangaru Laxman was the first Dalit president of the BJP. A year after assuming charge, a sting operation showed him accepting a bribe, after which Laxman resigned.
K Jana Krishnamurthi — 2001 to 2002
K Jana Krishnamurthi
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M Venkaiah Naidu — 2002 to 2004
M Venkaiah Naidu
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M Venkaiah Naidu was elected BJP president after Krishnamurthi joined the Vajpayee Cabinet.
Naidu resigned after the NDA lost the 2004 general elections.
Rajnath Singh — 2005 to 2009, 2013 to 2014
Credit: File Photo
Rajnath Singh took charge after Advani resigned. He quit the post after the NDA lost the 2009 general elections.
Singh was elected president for his second term after Nitin Gadkari stepped down in 2013.
After the party's victory in the 2014 elections, Singh resigned the party presidency to become the Home Minister.
Nitin Gadkari — 2009 to 2013
Nitin Gadkari
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Nitin Gadkari became the youngest president of the BJP in 2009.
He resigned in 2013 after a scandal related to his time as Minister and allegations of financial impropriety.
Amit Shah — 2014 to 2020
Amit Shah
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Amit Shah, a confidant of Narendra Modi, became the BJP president after Rajnath Singh entered the Union Cabinet. He held the post till 2020.
J P Nadda — 2020 to 2026
J P Nadda
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Nadda was elected the working president of the BJP in 2019. He took charge of the top post a year later.