Political party
India's ruling party since 2014, the BJP emerged from the Jana Sangh and positions itself on Hindu nationalism, economic reform, and strong central governance. It is the largest party in India by parliamentary seats and organisational reach.
Right-wing, nationalist · Est. 1980
The BJP won 240 seats — 32 short of a majority — forcing Modi's third term to depend on coalition partners TDP and JDU. The INDIA alliance won 234 seats, with Congress winning 99 (up from 52). Rahul Gandhi became Leader of the Opposition.
Modi announced on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti that the government would repeal all three farm laws. Parliament passed the repeal bill in less than two minutes. The capitulation was widely seen as a political calculation ahead of Punjab assembly elections in 2022.
Parliament passed three agriculture reform laws aimed at allowing farmers to sell produce outside APMC mandis and enter into contract farming agreements. Farmers — particularly in Punjab and Haryana — launched a year-long protest at Delhi's borders, calling the laws a corporate takeover of agriculture.
The CAA granted expedited citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived before 2015 — notably excluding Muslims. Critics called it discriminatory; the government said it protected persecuted minorities. Nationwide protests followed.
Home Minister Amit Shah introduced resolutions in the Rajya Sabha revoking Article 370 — which had given Jammu & Kashmir special autonomous status since 1949 — and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories: J&K and Ladakh. The Supreme Court upheld the move in December 2023.
The BJP won 303 seats — more than its 2014 tally — and the NDA alliance 353 seats, one of the largest mandates in Indian electoral history. Rahul Gandhi lost his family seat of Amethi to BJP's Smriti Irani.
The Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act created a 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for Economically Weaker Sections from the general category — the first reservation based purely on economic criteria. The Supreme Court upheld it 3:2 in November 2022.
India's most significant tax reform since independence unified 17 central and state taxes into one GST, launched with a midnight Parliament session. The 101st Constitutional Amendment enabled it. Though long-gestating (conceptualised under the UPA), the Modi government executed the rollout.
Prime Minister Modi announced with four hours' notice that ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes — 86% of India's currency in circulation — would cease to be legal tender. The stated aims were to flush out black money and move India toward a cashless economy. The RBI later said 99% of notes were deposited, fuelling debate over the policy's effectiveness.
Narendra Modi was sworn in as India's 14th Prime Minister after the BJP won 282 seats — the first outright majority by a single party in 30 years. The BJP's campaign focused on development, governance, and Modi's personal brand.
Following the Godhra train burning in which 59 Hindu pilgrims died, communal violence swept Gujarat for three months, killing an estimated 1,000–2,000 people, predominantly Muslims. Modi's government faced widespread criticism for its response. The Supreme Court's SIT later gave him a clean chit.
Narendra Modi was appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat by the BJP, replacing Keshubhai Patel. It was his first executive role at any level of government, having spent his career as an RSS pracharak and BJP organisation man.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won the 1999 general election and formed a stable coalition government. The NDA completed a full five-year term — the first non-Congress government to do so — passing major economic reforms.
A crowd of kar sevaks demolished the 16th-century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, triggering nationwide riots that killed over 2,000 people. The event reshaped Indian politics, accelerating the BJP's rise and deepening Hindu-Muslim polarisation.
In its first general election, the BJP won just 2 seats on an 8.5% vote share. The sympathy wave for the INC after Indira Gandhi's assassination decimated the opposition. The result forced the party to deepen its organisation through the RSS network.
The BJP was founded by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani after the Janata Party coalition collapsed. It positioned itself as a centre-right Hindu nationalist alternative to Congress, growing from 2 Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to become India's dominant party by 2014.
Short name: BJP
Founded: 1980
Headquarters: New Delhi
Political position: Right-wing, nationalist
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