జనసంఘ్ నుంచి బీజేపీ వరకు: దేశాన్ని పాలిస్తున్న పార్టీ ప్రస్థానం

From Jana Sangh to BJP: How India's ruling party was built

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claims to be the largest political party in the country today, was not a party that grew overnight. Its roots lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh of 1951. It has reached its current level only after many mergers, splits, defeats and victories. Let us look at that journey step by step.

Birth of the Jana Sangh (1951)

Within a few years of independence, on 21 October 1951, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He served as the Industries Minister in Nehru's first cabinet and resigned over policy differences. The Jana Sangh promoted issues such as nationalism, cultural identity, and a strong centre. Mukherjee's death while under arrest in Kashmir in 1953 was a major blow to the party. Deendayal Upadhyaya then proposed the ideology of "Ekadmat Humanism". This is still considered the ideological foundation of the BJP.

Merger with Janata Party (1977)

In 1975, the Indira Gandhi government declared Emergency. Many opposition leaders were imprisoned. After the Emergency was lifted, all the anti-Congress parties came together to form the Janata Party for the 1977 elections. The Jana Sangh also merged with it. Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister and the first non-Congress government was formed in the country. Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the External Affairs Minister and Lal Krishna Advani as the Information and Broadcasting Minister. However, the alliance did not last long due to the "dual membership" (membership of the Janata Party as well as the RSS) controversy.

The emergence of the BJP (1980)

On April 6, 1980, the old Jana Sangh leaders launched the Bharatiya Janata Party. Vajpayee became the first president. But the 1984 Lok Sabha elections were a bitter experience for the party. In the wave of sympathy that came after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the BJP won only two seats. Interestingly, one of those two was the Hanumakonda seat in our Telangana. It was a sensation at that time to win there against C. Janga Reddy and PV Narasimha Rao.

Advani's Rath Yatra, growth (1989–1996)

In the late 1980s, the BJP adopted the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi movement as its main issue. In 1990, Advani started the Rath Yatra from Somnath. The party grew rapidly, winning 85 seats in 1989 and 120 seats in 1991. It emerged as the single largest party in the 1996 elections. Vajpayee was sworn in as Prime Minister, but had to resign within 13 days due to lack of majority.

Vajpayee's NDA government (1998–2004)

In 1998, the BJP came to power in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several regional parties. The Pokhran nuclear tests, the Kargil War, the Golden Quadrilateral National Highways project, and telecom reforms were the hallmarks of this period. Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party provided crucial external support to that government. Despite the "India Shining" campaign in 2004, the NDA was defeated. The BJP remained in opposition for the next ten years.

Modi era (since 2014)

Narendra Modi, who served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, was announced as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in 2013. In the 2014 elections, the party won 282 seats on its own — the first time since 1984 that any single party had a majority on its own. In 2019, that number increased to 303. In 2024, the BJP won 240 seats, and Modi became prime minister for the third time with the support of allies like the TDP and JDU.

Lessons from this journey

Three things are clear when you look at the history of the BJP. One — a strong cadre system. Two — not abandoning its fundamentals even after defeat. Three — forming alliances with regional parties when necessary. The rise of a two-seat party in 1984 to the centre of national politics over the next forty years is an important chapter in Indian democracy. Regardless of one's opinion on the party's policies, this rise is a study in politics for students.

Photo: Manasbose / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)