New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) Nitin Gadkari Saturday took over as president of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), replacing Rajnath Singh.
The announcement to hand over the baton to Gadkari, 52, the party’s Maharashtra unit chief, was formally made after a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board.

“Gadkari is an able, capable and skilled political activist and the parliamentary board has agreed on his name as the new party president,” Singh said announcing the change in party leadership. He then embraced Gadkari.

Gadkari, who arrived in the capital Saturday morning, thanked the BJP leaders for choosing him to head the party.

“This is a big responsibility for me,” a beaming Gadkari said after taking over. He added that he would be guided in the job by veterans Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani.

“I started off as a small activist of the party in my student days, putting up posters of the party, and this is a big responsibility for me. I want to assure my seniors that I will not do any work that will be against party. I will be sitting on the chair but would need your help. You will have to cooperate with me,” he said.

Gadkari shared the dias with the BJP Parliamentary Party’s new chairman L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Singh.

Jubilant scenes were witnessed outside party office at Ashoka Road here as members danced to drum beats and burst crackers.

Gadkari enjoys the backing of the party’s ideological parent organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and his taking over is seen as the strengthening of RSS’ hold over the BJP.

The change of leadership guard came a day after the BJP effected a generational shift in the party and nominated Sushma Swaraj, 57, as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha replacing Advani.

The front-ranking leadership is below 60 now with Jaitley, 57, continuing to be the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.