Here's all you need to know about JP Nadda, the BJP's new Working President

As Amit Shah moved to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Union Cabinet as the Home Minister after strategising Bharatiya Janata Party’s second consecutive big victory in the Lok Sabha elections, the party on Monday announced Jagat Prakash Nadda as the new Working President. While the former continues to be the BJP National President, Nadda has a huge responsibility on his shoulders to live up to the massive hopes from not just the party leadership. but also the supporters of the party. 

READ: JP Nadda Appointed New BJP Working President: 5 Of His Achievements You Should Know About

Here’s all you need to know JP Nadda: 

JP Nadda was born in Bihar on December 2, 1960 to Dr. Narain Lall Nadda and Shrimati Krishna Nadda. He completed his schooling from St. Xaviers School, Patna and did his Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Patna College, Patna University. 

Nadda’s political interests got boosted in Patna after being elected as the Secretary in the Students’ Union election in 1977. This was the period when the Janata Party’s attack against the Indira Gandhi Government at the Centre was at its peak. 

Nadda then moved to Himachal Pradesh to complete his LLB from the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. It’s in Himachal Pradesh that his political ambitions grew by leaps and bounds.  

Nadda joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and was elected as the President of the Students' Union when ABVP defeated the Students' Federation of India in the Himachal Pradesh University for the first time in 1984. 

The BJP leader held the responsibility of the National General Secretary of the ABVP from 1986-89. He was also appointed as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in 1991.

Nadda contested the elections for the first time, for the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1993. He was re-elected in 1998. He held the portfolio of the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs during his second term, 1998 to 2003.

He once again became a Member of Parliament of the HP Legislative Assembly in 2007. He held the portfolio of the Ministry of Forest, Environment, Science and Technology in the Prem Kumar Dhumal government from 2008 to 2010. 

In 2012, Nadda became a Member of Parliament for the first time, representing BJP in the Rajya Sabha. 

Nadda is known to be a brilliant strategist while keeping a low-profile. Sports has been one of his interest areas, having represented Bihar in the All India Junior Swimming Championship and holding positions like President, Olympic Association of Himachal Pradesh from 2008 – 2012.

Nadda played a crucial role in BJP winning a thumping majority in the 2014 elections as he was the party's General Secretary then.

Like in 2019, Nadda was tipped to be the BJP President, but had to be content with heading the party's strategy for Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2014. BJP won the polls in alliance with the Shiv Sena.

The politician most recently served as the Minister Of Health and Family Welfare in PM Modi’s Union Cabinet in PM's first term. He was handed the portfolio during the cabinet reshuffle, when he had replaced Dr Harsh Vardhan, who is now the Minister of Health and Family Welfare; Minister of Science and Technology; and Minister of Earth Sciences of the Modi Cabinet 2.0. 

Among the highlights of his tenure as a Health Minister has been the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana - Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY-AB), the world's largest healthcare program that was launched in September last year. 

READ: ''One Lakh People Benefited Under Ayushman Bharat Scheme'' Says JP Nadda

Nadda, however, does not hold any portfolio in the Modi 2.0 Cabinet. He is currently a Member of Parliament representing BJP in the Rajya Sabha. 

He was handed over the massive responsibility of heading the party in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh for the recent Lok Sabha polls. Nadda came out trumps, with the BJP winning 62 seats out of 80. Incidentally, even Amit Shah had similarly strategised BJP's massive victory in the 2014 General Elections, before he took over as the BJP President from Rajnath Singh then.  

On the personal front, Nadda is married to Dr. Mallika Nadda and the couple has two sons. While the family lives in Shimla, the new BJP Working President carries his official duties from New Delhi.