Origins

The BJP is a direct successor of The Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS, Indian People's Union), founded in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee, a nationalist leader, former Union Minister and freedom-fighter. It was considered the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. But the fortunes of the young party took a dip in 1953, when Mookherjee was jailed in Kashmir by then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. After his death in custody, the BJS lasted for 24 more years, but never seriously challenged the power of Indian National Congress, the only well-structured political party since India's independence. It did however groom future political leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani.

Early years

The BJP was founded in December 1980, under the direct leadership of Vajpayee and Advani. In the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP got only 2 seats out of 543. However, in the following 1989 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP obtained 88 seats and it supported the Janata Dal-led coalition of V.P. Singh. On October 23, 1990, Advani was arrested by the Chief Minister of Bihar, Laloo Prasad Yadav, due to his agitation for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, and as a result the BJP withdrew its support of the government and it fell.

After the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP became the premier opposition party, and the Congress government functioned as a minority. During this time, the Janata Dal, the other major offshoot of the Janata Party, saw itself crumble into regional factions, and many leaders opted for the BJP.

• The First BJP Government (May 16 - 31st, 1996)
• The Second BJP Government (March 19, 1998 - October 13, 1999)
• The Third BJP Government (October 13, 1999 - May 13, 2004)

Achievements

Vajpayee was responsible for three efforts to build peaceful relations with Pakistan. In 1999, he rode on the inaugural Delhi-Lahore bus, and signed the Lahore Declaration with the Pakistani Prime Minister, committing India to peace. In 2001 Vajpayee invited Pakistan's military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, to Delhi, though the summit failed. And despite the terrorist attacks that froze relations for two and a half years, Vajpayee, in a speech to Parliament in August 2003, spoke of his "absolute last attempt of my life" to foster peace with Pakistan, de-freezing relations and invoking praise from world leaders.

In 2004, the Government signed the South Asia Free Trade Agreement with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, a decision intended to vastly benefit over 1.6 billion people.

BJP's political alliances and their consequent dilution of hindutva ideology created a noticeable rift between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party in ideological terms. The RSS, from where a good deal of BJP leaders have migrated, has sought the party to take a more aggressive stand on ideological issues such as the building of the Ayodhya mandir and the adoption of a Uniform Civil Code. It prefers a swadeshi economic model of "Hindu socialism".The BJP as part of NDA while in power at the Centre could not pursue ideological tenets such as Ayodhya or the Civil Code to ensure that its allies continued their support.

Organisation

The BJP is one of the few parties in India to have a popular-based governing structure, where workers and leaders at the local level have a great say in much of the decision-making. This has also been blamed for public spats between different factions of the party.

The highest authority in the party is the President. Officially, the BJP constitution provides for a three-year term for the President. Recently, both Venkaiah Naidu and LK Advani resigned ahead of schedule due to circumstances. Rajnath Singh has held this post since January 2006. Beyond this, there are several Vice-Presidents, General-Secretaries, Treasurers and Secretaries. The National Executive consists of an undetermined number of senior party leaders from across the nation who are the highest decision-making body in the party. At the state level, a similar structure is in place, with every state unit being led by the respective President, who also officially serves a three-year term.

Mass organisations associated with the BJP include:

• Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (All-India Students' Council)
• Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (Indian People's Youth Front)
• Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (India Peasants' Union)
• Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (Indian Workers' Union)
• BJP Mahila Morcha (Indian Popular Women's Front)
• BJP Minority Morcha (Indian Popular Minority Front)

Ideology : Objectives and policies

BJP is often described as centre-right in nature. The concept of Hindutva has a special place in its ideology, with the party aiming to transform India in to a modern, progressive and enlightened nation which draws inspiration from India's ancient Hindu culture and values. As per the party's constitution the objectives of the party are explained thus:

"The party is pledged to build up India as a strong and prosperous nation, which is modern, progressive and enlightened in outlook and which proudly draws inspiration from India's ancient culture and values and thus is able to emerge as a great world power playing an effective role in the comity of Nations for the establishment of world peace and a just international order. The Party aims at establishing a democratic state which guarantees to all citizens irrespective of caste, creed or sex, political, social and economic justice, equality of opportunity and liberty of faith and expression. The Party shall bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India."

Some of the professed goals of the BJP are:

• The Repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution, which prevents non-Kashmiris, including Hindus who have fled the area due to increasing terrorism, from owning property in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Promulgation of a Uniform Common Civil Code, which create only one personal and civil law code for Hindus, Muslims and Christians, who enjoy the privilege of having law codes tailored to their religious culture over personal and family matters. In the minds of BJP supporters, this system creates a sense of division in the country between religious communities.
• A Ban on Cow Slaughter, to honor the Hindu tradition of not consuming the flesh of cattle, and prohibiting the consumption of beef.
• The Ban on Religious Conversions
• The Construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya on the destroyed site of Babri Masjid.
• To achieve the full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India. Presently over 40% of the territory is under the control of Pakistan and China.

The BJP stands for strong national defense though it did not supported reorientation and improving the quality of training of the armed forces and nor it supported the amendment of the retirement plans for the armed forces which were recommended by the oversight committee , small government, a concept of few people but a powerful block thereby reducing the room for public debate and discussion and [[Quasi free-market](a market where only Indian companies can benefit)] economic policies, but Hindutva and Integral humanism have been its core philosophy and identity ever since its inception. The BJP stand on economic policies saw a sudden volte face in the mid nineties from a support of swadeshi products to the embracing of free market ideas.

Another important factor is the ongoing territorial dispute over Jammu and Kashmir and the wars of 1947-48, 1962, 1965, and 1971 and recently the 1999 Kargil War. The BJP and its supporters feel India must remain vigilant against threats from Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, and elsewhere such as Bangladesh and even LTTE from Sri Lanka[citation needed][original research?].

Economic policy under BJP-led governments at the state and center has been heavily focused on infrastructure building thereby increasing the public debt which led to surmountable fiscal deficit and pro-reform,which is congenial to Indian interests and not necessary conforming to international regulations (like environment laws) market-oriented economic growth without making subtle changes to the existing policies.

Organisation Leadership

Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha

• Lal Krishna Advani

Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha

• Jaswant Singh

President

• Rajnath Singh - January 2006- till date

The BJP has a number of prominent public figures among its members, who have either campaigned for, contested elections for or held office for the party. The induction of celebrities into the party helped the party receive extra attention from the media and the public, but it has also received criticism from others, who have claimed that the celebrities knew little about politics or would create an image of elitism for the party.

• Film and television stars: Juhi Chawla, Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Smriti Irani, Apra Mehta
• Sportspersons: Navjot Singh Sidhu, Chetan Chauhan

Heirs to prominent political families:

• Sumitra Kulkarni, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi
• Sunil Shastri and Neera Shastri, son and daughter-in-law of Lal Bahadur Shastri
• Ashok Ambedkar, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar
• Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi, daughter-in-law and grandson of Indira Gandhi
• Arun Nehru, nephew of Indira Gandhi
• Najma Heptullah, grand-niece of Maulana Azad
• Lalitha Kumaramangalam, granddaughter of Dr. Subbarayan
• Vasundhara Raje and Yashodhara Raje, daughters of Vijayaraje Scindia
• Bhanu Prakash Mirdha, grandson of Baldev Ram Mirdha

The BJP has never taken part in a state government in: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal, although in a few of these states, it has extended outside support to a ruling government. In most of these states, it has at least won some local elections.

Bharatiya Janata Party

Party chairperson: Rajnath Singh

General Secretary: Arun Jaitley

Parliamentary Party Chairperson: Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Leader in Lok Sabha: Lal Krishna Advani (Opposition)

Leader in Rajya Sabha: Jaswant Singh (Opposition)

Founded: 1980

Headquarters: 11, Ashoka Road, New Delhi - 110001

Alliance: National Democratic Alliance

Seats in Lok Sabha: 138

Seats in Rajya Sabha: 48

Political ideology: Hindutva Hindu nationalism Economic liberalism Integral humanism

Publications: BJP Today

Website: http://bjp.org

After the 2004 General Election

Key Events

2004:

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharati resigns as she is charged in a dated case related to hoisting the Indian tricolour in a minority area.
• Party President Venkaiah Naidu quits, paving the way for Lal Krishna Advani to take up the post.

2005:

• The BJP derives political mileage out of the Congress party's use of governors to bring down its government in Goa, and preventing it from forming a government in Jharkhand and Bihar post-elections. The BJP eventually forms a government in Jharkhand and wins a second set of elections in Bihar with the JD(U).
• During a visit to Pakistan, party President LK Advani creates controversy he names the country's founder, Muhammed Ali Jinnah, "secular". The impending flack from his party leads to the premature end of his tenure at the end of the year.
• The party faces embarrassment in a sting operation where journalists offer money to MP's to raise questions in Parliament[14]. Six of the ten expelled parliamentarians are from the party.

2006:

• Rajnath Singh, a former Union Minister and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, takes over as BJP Party President.
• Former Chief Ministers Uma Bharati (Madhya Pradesh), Babulal Marandi (Jharkhand) and Madan Lal Khurana (Delhi) officially leave the BJP to float their own political fronts.
• The BJP aligns with the JD(S) to form a coalition in Karnataka, its first government in South India.
• An array of opposition parties engineer the collapse of the Arjun Munda government in Jharkhand and prop up an independent BJP rebel, Madhu Koda, as Chief Minister.
• Former Union Minister and urban face of the BJP, Pramod Mahajan, is shot dead by his own brother.

2007:

• The BJP-SAD alliance regains power in Punjab, with the BJP winning almost all of its contested seats. In Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the BJP regains power from the Congress, and posts its fourth consecutive victory in Gujarat. However, the party faces a major setback in Uttar Pradesh, where its tally dips to its lowest in 20 years and its traditional vote banks are eroded. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance retain power in Mumbai's municipal corporation, while the BJP regains power in the Delhi municipal corporation.
• The Janata Dal (Secular) refuses to hand over the Chief Minister's post to the BJP as agreed upon, leading to the downfall of the alliance government in Karnataka. After the JD(S) decides to reverse its decision, B.S. Yediyurappa becomes the BJP's first southern CM. When the JD(S) once again goes back on its word after a week, Yediyurappa resigns.
• The party faces more tragedy as former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma dies in a road accident and former party President Jana Krishnamurthy passes away.
• The party approves of 33% reservation for women in all bodies of the party, including the National Executive, the first party in India to put forward such a measure.
• The party formally declares Leader of the Opposition, Lal Krishna Advani, as BJP's Prime Ministerial Candidate.
• Narendra Modi successfully fights anti-incumbency to win a third term in office as the Chief-minister of Gujarat.
• The party captures power in Himachal Pradesh, ousting the Indian National Congress, with Prem Kumar Dhumal becoming the Chief Minister.
• According to Tamil Nadu state BJP president L. Ganesan , BJP would form an alliance with AIADMK before the 2009 Tamil Nadu polls.

2008:

• B. S. Yeddyurappa leads BJP in Karnataka to victory in the 2008 Karnataka state elections gaining just 3 seats short of a majority. It is a historical win for BJP as it was able to form a government in South India without a Coalition and the victory is considered as Gateway to South-India by Party President Rajnath Singh.