The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday appointed Dr Nirmal Singh as the new president of the state unit in place of Dr D K Kotwal, three months after its miserable performance in the assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh, a history teacher and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist, is the fifth chief of the state BJP and youngest to occupy the position so far.

He joined the BJP in 1992 and rose to become its general secretary before being elevated to the present post.

Soon after taking charge, Singh said he would fight against the 'Kashmir-centric' politics in the state and the step-motherly treatment being meted out to the Jammu and Ladakh regions.

Charging the Congress and Panthers Party of betraying the faith of the Jammu people, he said the J&K coalition government was 'unstable' and would soon fall due to 'differences among the partners'.