PATNA: Bankipur MLA Nitin Nabin attended the Bihar assembly’s budget session on Tuesday for the first time since taking charge as the BJP’s national president.Senior NDA leaders gathered at the main entrance of the assembly to greet Nabin. Among those present were LJP state president Raju Tiwari, Rashtriya Lok Morcha legislative party leader Madhav Anand, both deputy chief ministers of Bihar, the BJP state president, and several other prominent leaders.Nabin’s presence in the assembly came months after the BJP made a surprise move on December 14 last year by appointing the 45-year-old leader as the party’s national working president, signalling a generational shift within the ruling party. Last month, he went on to become the youngest politician to assume the BJP’s top organisational post.Following his elevation, Nabin resigned from the Bihar state cabinet in December but retained his Bankipur assembly seat, which he won for the fifth consecutive time in the November elections.Senior JD(U) leader and parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said that Nitin is as simple as he is capable and efficient. He said this selection by the BJP leadership is natural and appropriate. “Nitin not only met the criteria the party used to select its leadership, but also topped all other names,” he said.Choudhary further said Nitin has successfully discharged his responsibilities not only as a public representative but also as a minister, and everyone is impressed by his work. “This achievement at such a young age is extraordinary,” Choudhary said and wished him well on behalf of the people of Bihar and the members of the Legislative Assembly. He hoped that Nitin will take the BJP to greater heights, so that there will be no hesitation in trusting any Bihari in the future.The BJP is expected to capitalise on Nabin’s Bihar roots and organisational experience in the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu. While the party continues to be in power in Assam, it faces a challenging electoral battle in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
