*** Welcome to piglix ***

Bhartiya Janata Party

Bharatiya Janata Party
भारतीय जनता पार्टी
Abbreviation BJP
President Amit Shah
Parliamentary Chairperson Narendra Modi
Lok Sabha leader Narendra Modi
(Prime Minister)
Rajya Sabha leader Arun Jaitley
(Finance Minister)
Founded 6 April 1980 (36 years ago) (1980-04-06)
Preceded by Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1951−1977)
Janata Party (1977−1980)
Headquarters 11 Ashoka Road,
New Delhi-110001
Newspaper Kamal Sandesh
Youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha
Women's wing BJP Mahila Morcha
Peasant's wing BJP Kisan Morcha
Membership 110 million (July 2015)
Ideology Hindu nationalism
National conservatism
Social conservatism
Right-wing populism
Hindutva
Gandhian socialism
Integral humanism
Political position Right-wing
International affiliation International Democratic Union
Asia Pacific Democrat Union
Colours      Saffron
ECI Status National Party
Alliance National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
Seats in Lok Sabha
282 / 545
(currently 541 members + 1 Speaker)
Seats in Rajya Sabha
56 / 245
(currently 244 members)
Election symbol
BJP election symbol.svg
Website
www.bjp.org

The Bharatiya Janata Party (pronounced [bʱaːrət̪iːjə dʒənət̪aː paːrʈiː]; translation: Indian People's Party; abbr. BJP) is one of the two major political parties in India, along with the Indian National Congress. As of 2016, it is the country's largest political party in terms of representation in the national parliament and state assemblies, and it is the world's largest party in terms of primary membership. The BJP is a right-wing party, with close ideological and organisational links to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The BJP's origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, formed in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee. After the State of Emergency in 1977, the Jana Sangh merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party; it defeated the incumbent Congress party in the 1977 general election. After three years in power, the Janata party dissolved in 1980 with the members of the erstwhile Jana Sangh reconvening to form the BJP. Although initially unsuccessful, winning only two seats in the 1984 general election, it grew in strength on the back of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Following victories in several state elections and better performances in national elections, the BJP became the largest party in the parliament in 1996; however, it lacked a majority in the lower house of Parliament, and its government lasted only 13 days.

After the 1998 general election, the BJP-led coalition known as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formed a government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for a year. Following fresh elections, the NDA government, again headed by Vajpayee, lasted for a full term in office; this was the first non-Congress government to do so. In the 2004 general election, the NDA suffered an unexpected defeat, and for the next ten years the BJP was the principal opposition party. Long time Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi led it to a landslide victory in the 2014 general election. Since that election, Modi leads the NDA government as Prime Minister and as of August 2016, the alliance governs 15 states.


...
Wikipedia

...