Introduction
Today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the largest political party in the world, claiming more than 18 crore members. Due to this massive public support, after winning the elections of 2014 and then 2019, the BJP appeared very strong in the elections of 2024 as well. The Prime Minister's confidence in a big win in 2024 stems from the mood of positivity and optimism in the country. People have much to celebrate, including successes around the G20, Chandrayaan, and the economy. BJP supporters are so confident that they are shouting slogans like "Abki Baar 400 Paar." The whole country is echoing this sentiment. However, just 40 years ago, the party was not able to win even 40 seats. In the 1984 elections, the BJP had won only two seats. The BJP, which is using Hindu Nationalism as its idol today, has become most popular in this regard. After the formation of the party, it was not able to decide on its ideology for many years. The most shocking fact is that the roots of the BJP originate from Congress, making its journey very interesting. Such things have happened in it that will probably shock you.
Origins: The Bharatiya Jan Sangh
The Bharatiya Janata Party, with the Lotus Symbol, started in 1980, but its roots trace back to the time of independence. It began on 21 October 1951 when Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Deendayal Upadhyay, and Professor Balraj Madhok founded the Bharatiya Jan Sangh. Its election symbol was the lamp, like many parties in India. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had previously been in Congress and was even a minister in Nehru's cabinet. He started protesting regarding Kashmir and the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950. When his views were not listened to, he resigned from the party. After resigning, he started the Bharatiya Jan Sangh with the help of the RSS and became its President. In the elections held in 1952, only three members of Jan Sangh won, one of whom was Shyama Prasad Mukherjee himself. Since 1952, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee has continuously protested against giving special status to Kashmir. He argued that the whole of Kashmir is a part of India and there should not be two symbols, two constitutions, and two heads within one country. This dream was fulfilled with the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had started talking about abolishing Article 370 in 1953 itself. When he reached Kashmir without permission, he was arrested in Srinagar and put in jail. His health deteriorated in jail, and he died on 23 June 1953. At that time, he had become quite popular, and his sudden death became a big controversy. Remembering Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the BJP today gives the slogan: "Where the martyrs died, Mukherjee, that Kashmir is ours."
Leadership Transition and Ground-Level Efforts
After the death of Mukherjee, Bharatiya Jan Sangh's co-founder Deendayal Upadhyay started working at the ground level to strengthen the party. He visited small villages and towns and began connecting people with the Jan Sangh. Since he was a member of the RSS, RSS ideology was also visible in his approach. Along with the issue of Kashmir, he started talking about a ban on cow slaughter and a uniform civil code. Their popularity started increasing very fast in the northern states. The effect of this increasing popularity was seen in the elections of 1962, where the seats of Jan Sangh increased from three to 14. After just five years, in the elections of 1967, these seats reached 35. It became the third largest party in the country after Congress and the Swatantra Party. Along with this, it formed a coalition with local parties, and it also formed state governments in UP, MP, and Bihar. At this time, Jan Sangh was under the leadership of Deendayal Upadhyay. Two more young leaders were working within the party who were going to change the entire direction of politics in India: Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. Both were members of the RSS before joining the Jan Sangh. After Deendayal Upadhyay died in 1968, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the President of the party. Deendayal Upadhyay's death also occurred under mysterious circumstances. Notice that many old, big leaders of the BJP died mysteriously, and to date, the truth behind it is not known to anyone.
The Emergency Period and Opposition Unity
On the other hand, in 1974, Jayaprakash Narayan started a movement against Indira Gandhi, which received a lot of public support. This was the first time after independence that Congress faced equal competition. At the same time, Indira Gandhi's allegation of winning the elections unconstitutionally was proved, and the Allahabad High Court disqualified her. Immediately after that, Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency in the entire country in 1975. This Emergency lasted for about 21 months. During this time, general elections were postponed, freedom of the press was curtailed, and all opposition leaders were jailed—from Jayaprakash Narayan to LK Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Arun Jaitley. Indira Gandhi went further and banned the RSS, searching for its members and sending them to jail. The main reason was that RSS members supported Jan Sangh, and Congress felt threatened by this. At this time, Narendra Modi was a member of the RSS and avoided arrest by living like a Sikh in Punjab. Many of his images from that time are still circulating on social media. In February 1977, when the Emergency ended, all opposition leaders gathered at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground in Delhi for a massive meeting. The result was that all opposition parties united to defeat Indira Gandhi in the upcoming elections. Parties like Jan Sangh, Lok Dal, United Socialist Party, and Congress for Democracy joined. During the Emergency, Congress had also split, and some leaders formed Congress (O), which was included in this coalition. Together, they formed the Janata Party, with the symbol of a farmer holding a plough. In this election, the slogan "Indira Hatao" was raised. Indira Gandhi lost badly, and for the first time after 30 years of independence, a non-Congress government was formed. Morarji Desai became the PM from the Janata Party, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Foreign Minister, and Advani got the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
Collapse of the Janata Party and Formation of the BJP
However, the Janata Party government was a coalition of parties with different ideologies, united only to defeat Indira Gandhi. Once she lost, fights began. Chaudhary Charan Singh demanded that Jan Sangh leaders leave the RSS ideology and follow the socialist ideology of the Janata Party to remain in government. The Jan Sangh leaders refused to separate from the RSS. After that, Chaudhary Charan Singh, along with his supporters, backed Indira Gandhi's Congress, and the Janata Party government fell in just two years. In the 1980 elections, Indira Gandhi made a tremendous comeback, winning 353 seats and becoming Prime Minister again. The Janata Party got only 31 seats, down from 295 in the previous election. Seeing no future for the Janata Party, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani left on 6 April 1980 and formed a new party named the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the lotus as its symbol.
Ideological Differences and Early Struggles
The BJP was established in 1980 but had not yet found its ideological ground. There were differences between Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani: Vajpayee promoted Gandhian socialism like Deendayal Upadhyay, while Advani advocated following the RSS ideology of Hindutva and Hindu nationalism. As Party President, Vajpayee's ideology got priority, but internal disputes persisted, preventing the party from establishing itself. Then came 1984, after Indira Gandhi's assassination, creating massive sympathy for Congress. Congress won a record 404 seats, while the BJP got only two. Now, the BJP sees the slogan of crossing 400, which Congress had already achieved. At the same time, a major change was occurring in the country that would forever alter the BJP's political journey: the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement.
The Ram Janmabhoomi Movement and Rise in Popularity
In 1964, the RSS had formed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and in 1980, they started the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement. By September 1984, it gained national limelight. BJP leader LK Advani supported and joined this movement, increasing his political stature. In 1986, he replaced Atal Bihari Vajpayee as BJP President and actively connected people with the movement. Vajpayee believed this was not the right step for the BJP and could prove to be a mistake. But by 1988, Vajpayee's words were proved wrong. Even Congress accepted that the Ram Temple was an important issue of faith. Rajiv Gandhi, accused of Muslim appeasement in the Shah Bano case, balanced it by opening the locks of Babri Masjid for Hindus in 1986 and permitting the laying of the foundation stone. This followed a local court order, but people believe Rajiv Gandhi could have waited for a higher court's decision. In 1987, he started airing Ramayana on TV. Considering it a big political issue, in the 1989 elections, he began his campaign from Ayodhya, promising Ram Rajya. These actions made the Ram Temple a major political issue, but the BJP and VHP benefited more, as they had prepared the ground for years. This was evident in the 1989 elections, where the BJP's seats increased from two to 85. Vajpayee, due to his differing ideology, had lost control of the party and was not even given a ticket, though he campaigned for speeches.
Coalition Governments and Key Events
The 1989 elections started the era of coalition governments. Congress faced the Bofors scandal, reducing its seats to half of 404. With 85 seats, the BJP supported the Janata Dal government, and VP Singh became PM. Controversial events occurred: the Mandal Commission report was implemented, the Hindu exodus from Kashmir happened, and the BJP started the Ram Rath Yatra. VP Singh opposed it, and the government collapsed in 11 months. Chandra Shekhar formed a government with Congress's support and became PM. On 25 September 1990, LK Advani started the Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath, Gujarat. It gained massive support, but in Bihar, CM Lalu Yadav arrested Advani and thousands of kar sevaks. In Uttar Pradesh, CM Mulayam Singh Yadav ordered firing on kar sevaks, killing 17 (official figure; BJP claims more). This shifted public support to the BJP. In December 1990, BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi conducted the Ekta Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir for national unity, passing through 14 states. PM Modi participated, and it ended with hoisting the tricolor at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, receiving immense support. In the 1991 elections, the BJP's seats increased to 120, and in UP, it formed a government with Kalyan Singh as CM. On 6 December 1992, the Babri demolition occurred, leading to communal violence, including the 1993 Mumbai blasts. The VHP and RSS were banned. Leaders like Advani and Joshi faced prosecution until 2020. Kalyan Singh resigned as UP CM, later stating he had no regrets, ordering no bullets be fired on kar sevaks. Before the demolition, Vajpayee spoke of leveling the ground for worship, but afterward, he expressed sadness.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Governments
Support for the BJP increased post-demolition. In 1996, LK Advani was the President and the most popular leader after the Rath Yatra, but Vajpayee was announced as the PM candidate for his moderate image and to attract more votes. Advani's name was linked to the Jain Hawala scandal, so he swore not to contest until cleared (in 1997). In 1996, the BJP reached 161 seats, becoming the single largest party. Vajpayee formed the government but failed to prove a majority, lasting 13 days. He gave a famous speech: governments come and go, but the country and democracy must endure. Two short governments followed: HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral as PMs, both falling due to coalition issues. In the 1998 elections, the BJP's seats rose to 182, again the single largest. With support from the Samata Party, Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, the AIADMK, and the BJD, Vajpayee formed the government, with Advani as Home Minister. Fights over ministries began, and the government fell after months. During this time, Vajpayee conducted nuclear tests . The fall was due to Jayalalithaa's demands (dropping cases, removing the DMK government, and making Subramanian Swamy Finance Minister), which Vajpayee refused. She met Sonia Gandhi and withdrew support. In the no-confidence motion, NDA lost by one vote (269-270), cast by Odisha CM Giridhar Gamang, who was still an MP. Elections in 1999 made BJP the single largest party again; Vajpayee formed the government for the third time, completing five years—the first non-Congress PM to do so.
Key Achievements Under Vajpayee's Leadership
Vajpayee's tenure was successful. He started the Golden Quadrilateral to connect Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai via highways. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana improved rural connectivity. To boost telecom, BSNL was established in September 2000, expanding mobile connectivity—earning him the title "Father of Modern Telecom in India". Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan made education mandatory for ages 6-14, adding it as a fundamental right. He approved Delhi's first metro from Kashmere Gate to Seelampur. Privatization concepts began, along with pension schemes. In the technical sector, besides Pokhran-II and Agni, Chandrayaan-1 was initiated in 2003. Globally, he improved relations with Israel, the US, and China; started the Look East Policy; and worked on Pakistan ties, bravely handling the Kargil War.
Transition to the Modi Era and Recent Dominance
With these achievements, in the 2004 elections, slogans like "India Shining" and "Bharat Uday" suggested BJP victory, but it won only 138 seats. Congress became the single largest, forming UPA-1 with Communist support (around 40 seats). Vajpayee fell ill and retired from active politics. In 2009, Advani was the PM face but faced controversy over Lahore comments; the BJP won 116 seats, and Congress formed UPA-2. By 2013, Advani had aged, and the BJP projected Narendra Modi. Advani resigned from his posts. The era of Atal-Advani ended; Modi-Shah emerged. Modi ads and Gujarat model campaigns started in 2012. UPA scams aided. In 2014, the BJP won massively. The Modi-Shah duo won the UP 2017 and 2019 elections. Modi became the star campaigner, Shah the strategist. The organization's changes post-2014 and future prospects are well-known.
This concludes the historical journey of the BJP.
