)
The election of Amit Shah as the BJP's new president will help the party to expand its influence and become stronger, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday.
In tweets, Modi said: "Amit Bhai started his (political) journey as an ordinary 'karyakarta' and has repeatedly proven himself through tireless hard work and determination.
"I would like to specially thank Rajnath (Singh) for his great leadership, under which the party scaled new heights of success," Modi added, referring to the outgoing BJP president.
The prime minister said "with the blessings of party elders and selfless efforts of karyakartas, (the) BJP's mission of creating a strong and developed India continues".
Earlier on Wednesday, former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, for years a close aide to Modi, was named the BJP's new president at a meeting of MPs of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
