J. P. Nadda

Jagat Prakash "J. P." Nadda (born 2 December 1960) is an Indian lawyer and politician who is serving as the 34th Minister of Health, 25th Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers since 2024 and 11th President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2020 and the member of the Rajya Sabha representing Gujarat since 2024. A key decision maker of the BJP, he is a close aide to Narendra Modi. He was the BJP's working president from 2019 to 2020. Nadda was also the Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the first Modi ministry from 2014 to 2019 and Parliamentary Board Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party. Nadda is the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers in the third Modi ministry.

Previously, he was an MLA from Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh from 2007 to 2012 and from 1993 to 2003 and Minister of Forest, Environment, Science, and Technology from 2007 to 2012 and the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs from 1998 to 2003 in the Himachal Pradesh Government.

Personal life
Nadda was born on 2 December 1960 in Patna, Bihar in the family of Narain Lall Nadda and Krishna Nadda, with roots in Himachal Pradesh. He belongs to Brahmin community. He has a brother named Jagat Bhushan Nadda.

Nadda was educated at St. Xavier's School, Patna. Thereafter he did his B.A. from Patna College, Patna University and LL.B. from Faculty of Law, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. As a child, he represented Bihar in the All India Junior Swimming Championship held at Delhi.

Nadda married Mallika Nadda (née Banerjee) on 11 December 1991, with whom he has two sons. His mother-in-law Jayashree Banerjee was elected to Lok Sabha in 1999.

Early electoral politics
Nadda was first elected to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the election of 1993 from Bilaspur. He was re-elected in 1998.

During his first term, he served as the Leader of his party group in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, from 1994 to 1998. He was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs in First Dhumal ministry. Nadda lost his seat in the 2003 Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election.

Nadda was elected for another term in the 2007 elections. After Prem Kumar Dhumal formed a government, he inducted Nadda into his cabinet, as cabinet minister responsible for Forest, Environment, Science and Technology, from 2008 to 2010.

Rise in national politics
Nadda did not seek re-election to the Legislative Assembly in 2012, and instead got elected to Rajya Sabha, Indian Parliament's upper chamber from Himachal Pradesh. In 2014, during a cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Nadda, the Minister of Health.

President of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Nadda was appointed the national working president of the BJP in June 2019. On 20 January 2020, he was elected unanimously as the BJP National President, a role he took from Amit Shah.

In January 2021 in Bardhaman, West Bengal, Nadda started a new scheme Ek Muthi Chaawal Yojana. In September 2022 he got extension to be the party chief till 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

On 4 March 2024, he resigned as member of Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh. He was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat and took oath on 6 April 2024.