India’s Hindu ruling party on Monday elected a veteran lawmaker and long-time associate of PM Narendra Modi as its president 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 in a general election in 2019 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.

Source: RT