India’s Hindu ruling party elected a veteran lawmaker and long-time associate of PM Narendra Modi as its president on Monday, ahead of a string of state elections.
Jagat Prakash Nadda will become the new president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), replacing Amit Shah, currently India’s home minister, Reuters reports.
Led by Modi and Shah, the BJP returned to power, winning the 2019 general election by a landslide majority. However, the party has failed to keep its hold on a number of key Indian states amid growing criticism over some of its recent moves.
Since late 2018, the BJP has lost control of the western states of Rajasthan and Maharashtra, Jharkhand in the east and Chhattisgarh in central India, even though Modi’s popularity seems largely undiminished.