Nitin Nabin’s elevation as BJP president has put the party into transition mode. It has also triggered unease among seniors, many of whom now have to adjust to a younger man sitting above them in the organisational chain.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made that clear at the appointment ceremony at the party headquarters. By calling Nabin his “boss” on organisational matters, Modi was not being informal. He was sending a message to the cadre and the leadership: the new president’s decisions will carry weight, and they must be followed. It also signalled that the BJP wants to put the organisation back at the centre of its politics.
Modi’s remarks carried another layer. “Identify mistakes committed by the Congress and do not repeat them.” Nearly 12 years in power can change a party’s instincts. Leaders get comfortable. Workers begin to take power for granted. And the party starts looking like the same Delhi elite it once mocked in its messaging before 2014.
In that sense, Nabin’s entry into Delhi’s power corridors is itself a signal. He is not from the capital’s inner circle. The BJP is telling its own workers that even now, after a decade of dominance, a leader from outside Delhi can be picked and pushed up.
Nabin appears cognizant of the role given to him, and how he redefines it. There has been a subtle hint. BJP leaders are easy to identify by their clothes. Crisp kurta-pajama, full sleeves, sleeveless jacket, and the occasional angavastra have become part of the party’s enforced discipline. There are stories in the party of leaders being pulled up for travelling in casual clothes and being reminded to dress for the office they hold.
Nabin appeared on stage with his sleeves rolled up, and has kept it such even in Delhi’s winter. The same image was repeated in the posters put up at the party headquarters. He has dressed this way since his Bihar days, and he did not immediately adopt the formal Delhi look.
It is a small detail, but it carries meaning. Rolled up sleeves signal work. They signal that the new president is not here to simply occupy a chair. He has been brought in as part of a generational change, and his elevation marks a break from continuity.
Modi framed Nabin as a “millennial”. Nabin, in turn, called politics a “marathon”, suggesting it demands discipline and patience. These were not throwaway lines. Nabin’s actions will now be analysed for meaning and intent. They were meant to place him in a longer political cycle, where the BJP is trying to prepare its next layer of leadership without disorder.
That thinking has been visible since the 2024 Lok Sabha election, when the party fell short of its own expectations. The broader argument, especially from within the RSS ecosystem, has been that the BJP cannot afford to let the organisation weaken while the government remains the main focus, especially when moving towards 2029 and beyond. The Vajpayee years are often cited inside the party as a warning. When Vajpayee’s tenure ended, the BJP was seen to have a leadership gap at the national level, and it took years to rebuild.
Nabin’s first real test will be internal. He has to manage seniors who are older, louder, and more entrenched than him. Until now, the BJP’s hierarchy has largely flowed downward from Modi and Shah. Nabin will have to build control in a structure where many leaders will privately see him as a junior who has been elevated over them. As Modi said Nabin’s work would redefine party for next 25 years.
His second test is electoral. Five states go to polls this year, and at least three are led by strong regional figures: Mamata Banerjee, M.K. Stalin, and Pinarayi Vijayan. These are not contests the BJP can win only through national messaging. They require local organisation, steady leadership, and careful candidate selection. The bigger tests would be UP, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh in next two years, followed by 2029 polls, which will happen in backdrop of delimitation, caste census and women reservation.
His third test is alliance management. Modi underlined this openly. The NDA is not a one-party arrangement anymore. It needs coordination, and constant handling as regional players emerge and change frequently.
For Nabin, the early signs will matter as much as the big statements. His first organisational appointments, his handling of seniors, and his approach to the next round of elections will show whether this is a real reset or just a change of face.
The BJP may still be the strongest party in the country, but long power creates its own weaknesses. Nitin Nabin has been picked to fix them. The party will judge him quickly, and so will everyone else.