Nadda's rise to the top comes from his remarkable skill
Shimla: In the middle of the 2017 assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, when BJP president Amit Shah announced the name of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal as party's chief ministerial candidate, there was disquiet in the BJP ranks.
Reason: the name of then union minister for health and family welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, was being strongly speculated. And, Nadda, a Rajya Sabha member -- Indian parliament's upper House, had a Chief Ministerial ambition.
Though Dhumal's chances were soon jeopardised by his defeat Nadda too could not make it to the post.
It was five-time sitting MLA Jairam Thakur who become the chief minister. Nadda never let his feeling to become public.
This was also the time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah were carving -out Nadda's role in Uttar Pradesh as party in-charge for Lok Sabha poll.
And, the result of the polls in UP, where the BJP won 62 seats, put the BJP in a commanding position and Nadda scored favour with Amit Shah and the Prime Minister.
Those who wondered why Nadda despite his shining work in UP was left-out from the Modi cabinet got an answer on Monday. He now occupies a position which makes him a powerful politician in the BJP's national hierarchy.
State assembly polls in three states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand apart Nadda's task is really cut-out in the organisation to increase party's enrollment and also fulfil what Amit Shah says, "Congress mukt Bharat".
Nadda 's remarkable rise
The 58-year old politician from a small state of Himachal Pradesh on Monday made it to the top post of the BJP as party's national working president.
The BJP, only some days back, had decided that Amit Shah, who has joined Modi cabinet as union home minister in rank-two, will continue as BJP president till assembly elections in Maharastra, Haryana and Jharkhand were over.
Known as a master strategist in the BJP, who enjoys immense confidence of Amit Shah, Nadda admits: "I had never lobbied for any post in my entire career. Whatever work was given to me by seniors, I did it with the fullest dedication. I also don't believe in publishing myself."
Nadda's best quality, says Himachal Pradesh BJP president Satpal Satti, is his humilit y. "Even in the toughest of situation, I have never found him tense. His personality is also attractive, so being his oratory." Satti says. From a less er known ABVP activist, who headed Himachal Pradesh university's student wing in 1983-84 to a cabinet minister in 2014-15, and also handling crucial assignment of BJP Parliamentary board general secretary, Nadda had always been a deliverer to the party.
He works silently and never enters into any conflict even with his political.
Born on December 2, 1960, Nadda had his early education at St. Xavier's School, Patna, Patna College, Patna University before he returned to Himachal University for his masters in English. This was the time when the ABVP was trying to build-up its foothold in the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla and was not successful. The party decided to bring Nadda to Shimla from Patna (Bihar). It was his sheer hard work in the campus that Nadda became ABVP's first elected president. "He had a spark in his personality and was a silent operator too," says Satti.
Later, he was elevated to the youth wing of the BJP --- Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) –an organisation he headed in 1991. That was the period when the BJYM witnessed a big rise and expansions in the state. He was only 31 years at the time.
In 1998, Nadda got re-elected to the state assembly for the second time. He was made as minister for health minister and parliamentary affairs. He lost the election in 2003 but got re-elected 2007 to become minister for Forest, Environment, Science and Technology.
When Nitin Gadkari took over as BJP president in 2010, he chose Nadda for the post of national general secretary. Nadda resigned the cabinet post in Himachal Pradesh and moved on to Delhi. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2012 and made union health minister in 2014-15.
His appointment as working president also rests all speculations about replacing state Chief Minister Jairam Thakur back home, as of now or maybe even later.
