List of presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party

2021-12-30T02:56:42Z

59.96.225.204: /* List of party presidents */

{{Short description|Wikipedia List of presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party}}{{Infobox official post
| post = President
| body = the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| native_name =
| insignia = Bharatiya Janata Party logo.svg
| insigniasize = 100px
| insigniacaption = [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| flag =
| flagsize =
| flagborder =
| flagcaption =
| image = J.P. Nadda in New Delhi - 2018 (cropped).jpg
| incumbent = [[Jagat Prakash Nadda]]
| acting =
| incumbentsince = 20 January 2020
| department =
| style =
| type = Political Party Office
| status =
| abbreviation =
| reports_to =
| residence = 6-A, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, [[New Delhi]]-110001
| seat =
| nominator =
| appointer = Committee consisting of members of the Bharatiya Janata Party from the [[National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party|National]] and [[Organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party|State Executives]]
| termlength = Three years
| termlength_qualified = (No more than two consecutive terms)
| constituting_instrument = Constitution of the Bharatiya Janata Party
| precursor =
| formation = 6 April 1980
| first = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| last =
| abolished =
| succession =
| unofficial_names =
| salary =
| website = {{URL|www.bjp.org}}
| imagesize = 110px
}}{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2019}}
{{Bharatiya Janata Party sidebar}}

The '''President of the Bharatiya Janata Party''' is the highest authority of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], and fills a number of roles, including chairing meetings of the [[National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party|National Executive]] of the party and appointing the presidents of party subsidiaries, such its [[Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha|youth wing]] and farmer's wing.{{sfn|Swain|2001|pp=71–77}} Any candidate for the presidency needs to have been a member of the party for at least 15 years.<ref name=Constitution>{{cite web |title=Bharatiya Janata Party Constitution |url=http://www.bjp.org/images/pdf_2012_h/constitution_eng_jan_10_2013.pdf |website=BJP official website |publisher=Bharatiya Janata Party |access-date=30 June 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118173055/http://www.bjp.org/images/pdf_2012_h/constitution_eng_jan_10_2013.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref> The President is nominally elected by an electoral college composed of members drawn from the party's National and State councils, but in practice is a consensus choice of senior members of the party.{{sfn|Swain|2001|pp=71–77}} The term of the President is three years long, and individuals may not serve more than two consecutive terms.<ref name=Constitution/> The President usually does not also hold a post within a government, and party chiefs have resigned the position to assume posts in Cabinet.<ref name="Rawat">{{cite news |last1=Rawat |first1=Sanjay |title= Amit Shah Appointed BJP President |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/murder-accused-amit-shah-appointed-bjp-president/848862 |access-date=2 July 2018 |work=Outlook |date=9 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702150814/https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/murder-accused-amit-shah-appointed-bjp-president/848862 |archive-date=2 July 2018 }}</ref>

After the party's foundation in 1980, [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] became its first president. He later became the [[Prime Minister of India]], the only BJP President to serve in that position to date. In 1986, [[Lal Krishna Advani]] was sworn in as the party president and has been the longest serving president over three different periods.<ref name=mint>{{cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/6OXdDGL7fso1o6WVihmGQJ/BJP-Foundation-Day-How-the-party-has-grown-since-1980.html|title=BJP Foundation Day: How the party has grown since 1980|last=Varma|first=Gyan|work=Mint|date=7 April 2017|access-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613111800/https://www.livemint.com/Politics/6OXdDGL7fso1o6WVihmGQJ/BJP-Foundation-Day-How-the-party-has-grown-since-1980.html|archive-date=13 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/lk-advani-350766-2016-11-08|title=Happy Birthday L K Advani: Facts about the longest serving BJP president|work=India Today|date=8 November 2016|access-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613160530/https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/lk-advani-350766-2016-11-08|archive-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> A total of 11 people have served as the president of the BJP, including [[Rajnath Singh]] and [[Amit Shah]] who have also served two terms. In January 2020, [[Jagat Prakash Nadda]] was appointed as the president.<ref name=jp>{{cite web |url=https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/jp-nadda-takes-over-as-bjp-president/amp-11579511268816.html|title=JP Nadda takes over as BJP president|date=20 January 2020|work=Mint|access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref>

== List of party presidents ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="72%"
|-
! scope="col" | S. No.
! scope="col" | Term
! Portrait
! Name
!State
! class="unsortable" | References
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 1
! scope="row" | 1980–1986
| {{sort|Vajpayee|[[File:Atal_Bihari_Vajpayee_tribute_image_(cropped).jpg|frameless|100px]]}}
|[[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
|[[Madhya Pradesh]]
| <ref name=mint/> <ref name="Chatterjee">{{cite journal |last1=Chatterjee |first1=Manini |title=The BJP: Political Mobilization for Hindutva |journal=[[South Asia Bulletin]] |date=1994 |volume=14 |issue=1}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |title=Nation’s highest civilian honour for Atal Bihari Vajpayee |url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/PEPkJFc48HrRTVpnXKydVO/Nations-highest-civilian-honour-for-Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee.html |access-date=30 June 2018 |work=Mint |date=25 December 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630161920/https://www.livemint.com/Politics/PEPkJFc48HrRTVpnXKydVO/Nations-highest-civilian-honour-for-Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee.html |archive-date=30 June 2018 }}</ref> {{sfn|Hansen|1999|pp=157–158}}
|-
| colspan="5" |Vajpayee became the first President of the BJP upon its formation in 1980. Under him the BJP projected itself as a centrist party that had moved away from the strident politics of the [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]. Vajpayee, often seen as the moderate face of the BJP, later became the first [[Prime Minister of India]] not from the [[Indian National Congress]] to serve a full term.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 2
! scope="row" | 1986–1991
| {{sort|Advani|[[File:L.K._Advani.jpg|100px|alt=An image of L. K. Advani.]]}}
| [[Lal Krishna Advani]]
|[[Gujarat]]
|<ref name=mint/> <ref name="Chatterjee"/> {{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=540–560}} <ref name=IT/> {{sfn|Hansen|1999|p=159}}
|-
| colspan="5" |Advani succeeded [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] as President in 1986, an event usually associated with a shift in the BJP's ideology towards hardline [[Hindutva]], exemplified by the ''[[Ram Rath Yatra]]'' led by Advani in 1990 as part of an effort to generate electoral support by appealing to [[Hindu nationalism]]. He had served as the President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1973.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 3
! scope="row" | 1991–1993
| {{sort|Joshi|[[File:Murli Manohar Joshi MP.jpg|frameless|117x117px]]}}
| [[Murli Manohar Joshi]]
|[[Uttar Pradesh]]
|<ref name=IT/> <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1523/15230040.htm|title=Taking Hindutva to school|last=Muralidharan|first=Sukumar|work=Frontline|date=7 November 1998|access-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140616063041/http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1523/15230040.htm|archive-date=16 June 2014}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |title=Presidential Election: Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj Among Probables |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/presidential-election-murli-manohar-joshi-sushma-swaraj-among-probables-1353432.html |access-date=30 June 2018 |work=News 18 |date=26 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630214205/https://www.news18.com/news/india/presidential-election-murli-manohar-joshi-sushma-swaraj-among-probables-1353432.html |archive-date=30 June 2018 }}</ref> <ref name="Datta">{{cite news |last=Datta |first=Prabhash K. |title=25 years after Babri demolition: Will Modi choose Advani as President? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/narendra-modi-bjp-president-of-india-advani-amitabh-bachchan-najma-heptullah-murli-manohar-joshi-966867-2017-03-21 |access-date=1 July 2018 |work=India Today |date=21 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701140309/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/narendra-modi-bjp-president-of-india-advani-amitabh-bachchan-najma-heptullah-murli-manohar-joshi-966867-2017-03-21 |archive-date=1 July 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |BJP ideologue Joshi had been affiliated with the [[Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh]] nearly fifty years before he became BJP President in 1991. As with his predecessor [[L. K. Advani]], he played a large role in the [[Ram Janmabhoomi|Ram Janmabhoomi agitation]]. He later served as a cabinet minister in the governments headed by [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]. During his Presidency, the BJP became the principal opposition party for the first time.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | (2)
! scope="row" | 1993–1998
| {{sort|Advani|[[File:L.K._Advani.jpg|100px|alt=An image of L. K. Advani.]]}}
| [[Lal Krishna Advani]]
|[[Gujarat]]
|<ref name=IT>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/photo/bjp-presidents-from-1980-to-2013-369096-2013-01-23|title=BJP Presidents from 1980 to 2013|work=India Today|access-date=17 July 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614161502/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/photo/bjp-presidents-from-1980-to-2013-369096-2013-01-23|archive-date=14 June 2018}}</ref> <ref name="Datta"/>
|-
| colspan="5" |Advani had been a member of the RSS for fifty years when he took office for the second time. His aggressive campaigning helped the BJP became the largest party in the [[Lok Sabha|lower house of the Indian Parliament]] after elections in 1996. Though [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] became Prime Minister, Advani was seen as the power within the party, and later served as [[Deputy Prime Minister of India|Deputy Prime Minister]].
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 4
! scope="row" | 1998–2000
| [[File:The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee paying tributes to late Kushabhau Thakre at a Shraddhanjali Sabha organised in his memory, in New Delhi on January 8, 2004 (cropped).jpg|center|frameless|125x125px]]
| [[Kushabhau Thakre]]
|[[Madhya Pradesh]]
| {{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=540–560}} <ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhaumik |first1=Saba Naqvi |title=Veteran leader Kushabhau Thakre emerges as front-runner for BJP president post |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/19971020-veteran-leader-kushabhau-thakre-emerges-as-front-runner-for-bjp-president-post-830770-1997-10-27 |access-date=1 July 2018 |work=India Today |date=27 October 1997 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701165045/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/19971020-veteran-leader-kushabhau-thakre-emerges-as-front-runner-for-bjp-president-post-830770-1997-10-27 |archive-date=1 July 2018 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |title=Kushabhau Thakre passes away |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kushabhau-Thakre-passes-away/articleshow/387224.cms |access-date=1 July 2018 |work=The Times of India |date=28 December 2003 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040619/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kushabhau-Thakre-passes-away/articleshow/387224.cms |archive-date=15 July 2018 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite news|title=Kushabhau Thakre Passes Away|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/archive/kushabhau-thakre-passes-away/93520/|access-date=1 July 2018|work=The Financial Express|date=28 December 2003|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701164959/https://www.financialexpress.com/archive/kushabhau-thakre-passes-away/93520/|archive-date=1 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Thakre had been associated with the RSS since 1942. He was not well known outside the BJP when he became the President in 1998, a few months after the BJP-led [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] government took office. During his tenure the BJP reduced its emphasis on [[Hindutva]], such as its demand for abrogating [[Article 370]] of the Indian constitution, to accommodate the views of a large coalition.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 5
! scope="row" | 2000–2001
|
| [[Bangaru Laxman]]
|[[Telangana]]
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bangaru-Laxman-ex-BJP-president-dies-in-Hyderabad/articleshow/31221884.cms|title=Bangaru Laxman, ex-BJP president, dies in Hyderabad|work=The Times of India|date=1 March 2014|access-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305033931/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bangaru-Laxman-ex-BJP-president-dies-in-Hyderabad/articleshow/31221884.cms|archive-date=5 March 2014}}</ref> <ref name="Vyas">{{cite news|last=Vyas|first=Nina|title=Jana Krishnamurthy acting BJP chief|url=https://www.thehindu.com/2001/03/15/stories/01150005.htm|access-date=1 July 2018|date=14 March 2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040619/https://www.thehindu.com/2001/03/15/stories/01150005.htm|work=[[The Hindu]]|archive-date=15 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Laxman, an RSS member of long standing, became the first [[Dalit]] President of the BJP in 2000. A year later a [[sting operation]] by ''[[Tehelka]]'' magazine showed him accepting a bribe, after which Laxman resigned immediately. He remained on the party's National Executive until 2012, when he was convicted for corruption and resigned.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 6
! scope="row" | 2001–2002
| {{sort|Krishnamurthi|[[File:Jana Krishnamurthi.JPG|center|frameless|100x100px]]}}
| [[Jana Krishnamurthi]]
|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|<ref name="Vyas" /> <ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ex-BJP-president-Jana-Krishnamurthy-cremated-in-Chennai/articleshow/2403979.cms|title=Ex-BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy cremated in Chennai|work=The Times of India|date=26 September 2007|access-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614161503/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ex-BJP-president-Jana-Krishnamurthy-cremated-in-Chennai/articleshow/2403979.cms|archive-date=14 June 2018}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |title=Jana Krishnamurthi ratified BJP chief |url=https://www.thehindu.com/2001/03/25/stories/01250002.htm |access-date=1 July 2018 |date=24 March 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040619/https://www.thehindu.com/2001/03/25/stories/01250002.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-date=15 July 2018 }}</ref> <ref name="Ramaseshan">{{cite news |last1=Ramaseshan |first1=Radhika |title=A-Team Powers Back |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1020630/front_pa.htm |access-date=1 July 2018 |work=The Telegraph |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702011052/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1020630/front_pa.htm |archive-date=2 July 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Krishnamurthi became acting President upon the resignation of Laxman, and was confirmed as President by the National Executive shortly afterwards. He resigned a year later when he became a minister in the central government under [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] as part of a cabinet reshuffle.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 7
! scope="row" | 2002–2004
| {{sort|Naidu|[[File:Venkaiah_Naidu_official_portrait.jpg|100px|alt=An image of Venkaiah Naidu.]]}}
| [[Venkaiah Naidu]]
|[[Andhra Pradesh]]
|<ref name = "Naidu">{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/report/naidus-journey-from-pasting-party-posters-to-vice-president/20170805.htm|title=Naidu's journey from pasting party posters to being Vice President|publisher=Rediff.com|date=5 August 2017|access-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014223344/http://www.rediff.com/news/report/naidus-journey-from-pasting-party-posters-to-vice-president/20170805.htm|archive-date=14 October 2017}}</ref> <ref name="Ramaseshan"/>
|-
| colspan="5" | Naidu was elected BJP President after [[Jana Krishnamurthi]] was drafted into the Cabinet. His election was seen by commentators as an example of [[L. K. Advani]] and the orthodox Hindu-nationalist wing of the party re-asserting control. Though elected to a full term, Naidu resigned after the [[National Democratic Alliance|NDA]] lost the [[2004 Indian general election]] to the [[United Progressive Alliance]] led by the Indian National Congress.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | (2)
! scope="row" | 2004–2005
| {{sort|Advani|[[File:L.K._Advani.jpg|100px|alt=An image of L. K. Advani.]]}}
| [[Lal Krishna Advani]]
|[[Gujarat]]
|<ref name=IT/> <ref name = "Naidu"/> <ref>{{cite web |title=Advani replaces Venkaiah Naidu as BJP chief |url=http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/oct/18bjp1.htm |access-date=2 July 2018 |publisher=Rediff.com |date=18 October 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804212753/http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/oct/18bjp1.htm |archive-date=4 August 2016 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |title=No regrets over Jinnah statement: Advani |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-regrets-over-Jinnah-statement-Advani/articleshow/1361730.cms |access-date=2 July 2018 |work=The Times of India |date=6 January 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212194803/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-regrets-over-Jinnah-statement-Advani/articleshow/1361730.cms |archive-date=12 February 2017 }}</ref> <ref name="Resignation">{{cite news |last=Vyas |first=Neena |title=Advani resigns as BJP president |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/advani-resigns-as-bjp-president/article3233731.ece?source=ppc&gclid=CjwKCAjwmufZBRBJEiwAPJ3Lpjck3zGpgx-rzw1v6u26oVgrtkOxZQvpJlI7IBz73s3DxSMzt73RhRoCbskQAvD_BwE |access-date=2 July 2018 |work=The Hindu |date=1 January 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040619/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/advani-resigns-as-bjp-president/article3233731.ece?source=ppc&gclid=CjwKCAjwmufZBRBJEiwAPJ3Lpjck3zGpgx-rzw1v6u26oVgrtkOxZQvpJlI7IBz73s3DxSMzt73RhRoCbskQAvD_BwE |archive-date=15 July 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Advani, then serving as the [[Leader of the Opposition (India)|leader of the opposition]] in the [[Lok Sabha]], became BJP President for the third time after [[Venkaiah Naidu]] resigned after the [[2004 Indian general election]]. Advani continued to hold his position as leader of the opposition. Advani resigned as President in 2005, after his description of [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] as a secular leader caused controversy.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 8
! scope="row" | 2005–2009
| {{sort|Singh|[[File:Defence_Minister_Shri_Rajnath_Singh_in_February_2020.jpg|100px|alt=An image of Rajnath Singh.]]}}
| [[Rajnath Singh]]
|[[Uttar Pradesh]]
|<ref name=IT/> <ref name="Resignation"/> <ref>{{cite news |last=Ghatak |first=Lopamudra |title=It's basic instinct for Rajnath Singh |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Its-basic-instinct-for-Rajnath-Singh/articleshow/911268.cms?referral=PM |access-date=2 July 2018 |work=The Times of India |date=23 December 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040619/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Its-basic-instinct-for-Rajnath-Singh/articleshow/911268.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=15 July 2018 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite news |title=Who is Rajnath Singh? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/who-is-rajnath-singh-152326-2013-01-23 |access-date=2 July 2018 |work=India Today |date=23 January 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702122243/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/who-is-rajnath-singh-152326-2013-01-23 |archive-date=2 July 2018 }}</ref> <ref name="IndiaTV">{{cite news |title=Rajnath Singh elected BJP president, vows to bring back party to power |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national/rajnath-singh-bjp-president-vows-to-bring-back-party-to-power-7938.html |access-date=2 July 2018 |publisher=India TV |date=23 January 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702122249/https://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national/rajnath-singh-bjp-president-vows-to-bring-back-party-to-power-7938.html |archive-date=2 July 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Singh took office as BJP President in December 2005 for the remainder of Advani's term. He was reappointed for a full term in 2006. Singh had held many positions for the RSS and the BJP, including serving as the [[Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh]] and the President of the BJP's [[Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha|youth wing]]. He advocated a return to a [[Hindutva]] platform. Singh resigned after the NDA lost the [[2009 Indian general election]]
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 9
! scope="row" | 2009–2013
| {{sort|Gadkari|[[File:Nitin Gadkari nagpur.jpg|100px|alt=An image of Nitin Gadkari.]]}}
| [[Nitin Gadkari]]
|[[Maharashtra]]
|<ref name=IT/> <ref name="IndiaTV"/> <ref>{{cite news |title=Nitin Gadkari: From swayamsevak to BJP chief |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Nitin-Gadkari-From-swayamsevak-to-BJP-chief/article16854166.ece |access-date=2 July 2018 |work=The Hindu |date=19 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040619/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Nitin-Gadkari-From-swayamsevak-to-BJP-chief/article16854166.ece |archive-date=15 July 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Gadkari became the youngest President of the BJP in 2009. A longtime RSS member, he had served as a minister in a coalition government in [[Maharashtra]] and as President of the BJP youth wing. He had strong support from the RSS leadership. Gadkari resigned in 2013 after a scandal related to his time as a minister and other allegations of financial impropriety.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | (8)
! scope="row" | 2013–2014
| {{sort|Singh|[[File:Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh in February 2020.jpg|100px|alt=An image of Rajnath Singh.]]}}
| [[Rajnath Singh]]
|[[Uttar Pradesh]]
|<ref name=IT/> <ref name="IndiaTV"/> <ref>{{cite news |title=Rajnath Singh – from 'Physics lecturer' to 'Union Home Minister' |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national/rajnath-singh-home-minister-of-india-bjp-modi-government-latest-18798.html |access-date=2 July 2018 |publisher=India TV |date=10 September 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702150650/https://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national/rajnath-singh-home-minister-of-india-bjp-modi-government-latest-18798.html |archive-date=2 July 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Singh was elected President for his second term after Gadkari stepped down in 2013. Singh played a large role in the BJP's campaign for the [[2014 Indian general election]], including declaring [[Narendra Modi]] the party's Prime Ministerial candidate despite opposition from within the BJP. After the party's landslide victory, Singh resigned the party presidency to assume the position of Home Minister.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 10
! scope="row" | 2014–2020
| {{sort|Shah|[[File:The Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, in New Delhi on August 19, 2019 (cropped).jpg|100px|alt=An image of Amit Shah.]]}}
| [[Amit Shah]]
|[[Gujarat]]
|<ref name=shah>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Amit-Shah-Modis-close-aide-takes-charge-as-BJP-president/articleshow/38068666.cms|title=Amit Shah, Modi's close aide, takes charge as BJP president|work=The Times of India|date=9 July 2014|access-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713003209/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Amit-Shah-Modis-close-aide-takes-charge-as-BJP-president/articleshow/38068666.cms|archive-date=13 July 2014}}</ref> <ref name="Rawat"/> <ref>{{cite news |last1=Hebbar |first1=Nistula |title=Amit Shah re-elected BJP president |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Amit-Shah-re-elected-BJP-president/article14017742.ece |access-date=2 July 2018 |work=The Hindu |date=24 January 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040619/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Amit-Shah-re-elected-BJP-president/article14017742.ece |archive-date=15 July 2018 }}</ref>
|-
| colspan="5" |Shah, a close confidant of Indian Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]], became BJP President for the remainder of [[Rajnath Singh]]'s term after the latter joined [[First Modi ministry|First Modi cabinet]]. Commentators described Shah's appointment as demonstrating Modi's control over the BJP. Shah was re-elected for a full three-year term in 2016.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan ="2" | 11
! scope="row" | 2020–''Incumbent''
|{{sort|Shah|[[File:J.P._Nadda_in_New_Delhi_-_2018_(cropped).jpg|100px]]}}
| [[Jagat Prakash Nadda]]
|[[Himachal Pradesh]]
|<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jp-nadda-set-to-take-over-from-amit-shah-as-new-bjp-chief-today-2166685%3famp=1&akamai-rum=off|title=JP Nadda Elected Unopposed As BJP Chief, Takes Over From Amit Shah|date=20 January 2020|work=NDTV|access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref> <ref name=jp/>
|-
| colspan="5" |A long-time associate of the RSS, Nadda was involved with the ABVP in college, and rose through the ranks of the BJP youth wing. He was elected a member of the legislative assembly in [[Himachal Pradesh]], and later held a ministership in the NDA-led Indian government from 1998 to 2003. He was elected "working president" of the BJP in 2019, and shared the responsibility of running the party with Amit Shah for a year before being elected president.
|-
|}

== See also ==
*[[List of state presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party]]
*[[Leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Parliament of India]]
*[[List of Sarsanghchalaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]]
*[[List of presidents of the Indian National Congress]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1 = Guha |first1 = Ramachandra |author-link = Ramachandra Guha |title = [[India after Gandhi |India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy]] |date = 2007 |publisher = Picador |isbn = 978-0-330-39610-3 |edition = 1st}}
* {{cite book| first= Thomas Blom| last = Hansen|title=The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SAqn3OIGE54C&pg=PP1|date=23 March 1999|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-2305-5}}
* {{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7Gk1Wz4k_xUC|title=Bharatiya Janata Party: Profile and Performance|last = Swain |first = Pratap Chandra|date = 2001 |publisher=APH Publishing |isbn = 978-8176482578 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party}}
* {{official website|http://www.bjp.org/}}

{{Bharatiya Janata Party}}
{{featured list}}

[[Category:Presidents of Bharatiya Janata Party|*]]
[[Category:Indian political party presidents]]
[[Category:Lists of Indian politicians|BJP]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

List of presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party