Bharatiya Janata Party: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

| ppchairman        = [[Narendra Modi]]<br /> ([[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]])

| loksabha_leader  = [[Narendra Modi]]<br /> ([[Leader of the House in Lok Sabha]])<ref name=":3000">{{cite news |title=BJP announces new parliamentary committee; Modi leader in Lok Sabha, Rajnath his deputy |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bjp-announces-parliamentary-party-executive-committee-1547512-2019-06-12 | access-date=16 March 2020 |work=India Today |date=12 June 2019}}</ref>

| rajyasabha_leader = [[Piyush Goyal]]<br /> ([[Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha]])

| headquarters      = 6-A, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, <br />[[New Delhi]] – 110002<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bjp-gets-a-new-address-today-pm-modi-to-inaugurate-multi-storey-office-1814043|title=BJP Gets A New Address; Soul Of New Office Is The Party Worker, Says PM Modi|website=NDTV.com}}</ref>

| alliance          = * [[National Democratic Alliance]]<br />([[India|All India]])<ref name="bjp0right">{{cite news |title=BJP + 29 Parties = National Democratic Alliance |url=https://www.ndtv.com/elections-news/bjp-29-parties-national-democratic-alliance-562972 |access-date=17 March 2020 |work=NDTV |date=20 May 2014 |author=Devesh Kumar}}</ref>

* [[North-East Democratic Alliance]]<br />([[Northeast India]])<ref>{{cite news |title=BJP seals alliances in Northeast, aims 22 LS seats |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/bjp-seals-alliances-in-northeast-aims-22-ls-seats/article26519732.ece |access-date=17 March 2020 |work=The Hindu Business Line |date=13 March 2019}}</ref>

* [[United Democratic Alliance (Nagaland)|United Democratic Alliance]]<br />([[Nagaland]])<ref>{{cite news | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/nagaland/nagaland-new-opposition-less-government-united-democratic-alliance-7519135/ | title=Nagaland's new 'Opposition-less' government to be called United Democratic Alliance | newspaper=The Indian Express | first=Tora | last=Agarwala | date=19 September 2021 |access-date=26 September 2021}}</ref>

| loksabha_seats    = {{Composition bar|301|543|hex=#FF9900}} ('''540''' MPs & '''3''' Vacant)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://loksabhaph.nic.in/writereaddata/Updates/EventLSS_637191127420791113_31994.pdf|title=Party Position pdf}}</ref>

| rajyasabha_seats  = {{Composition bar|101|245|hex=#FF9900}} ('''237''' MPs & '''8''' Vacant)<ref>{{cite web|title = Alphabetical Party Position in the Rajya Sabha|url=https://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/member_site/partymemberlist.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://164.100.47.5/NewMembers/partystrength.aspx|title=Strengthwise Party Position in the Rajya Sabha|publisher=Rajya Sabha|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606134311/http://164.100.47.5/NewMembers/partystrength.aspx|archive-date=6 June 2017}}</ref><!-- Please do not change without a more up-to-date reference --><!-- Seats after Rajya Sabha election, 2020 -->

| state_seats      = {{Composition bar|1376|4036|hex=#FF9900}}

('''3987''' MLAs &

'''49''' Vacant)

([[#Presence in states and UTs|see complete list]])

('''403''' MLCs & '''23''' Vacant)

([[#Presence in states and UTs|see complete list]])

| no_states        = {{Composition bar|17|28|hex=#FF9900}} ('''28''' States)<ref>{{cite news |title=BJP gains back Madhya Pradesh in just 15 months after losing it|url= https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bjp-s-shivraj-singh-chouhan-sworn-in-as-madhya-pradesh-cm-for-fourth-time-1658867-2020-03-23 |work=India Today |date=26 November 2019}}</ref><br />

('''2''' UTs)<br />

(Collectively '''28''' States & '''3''' UTs)

| ideology          = {{nowrap|[[Nationalism]]<ref>—Henrik Berglund. “Religion and Nationalism: Politics of BJP.” [[Economic and Political Weekly]] 39, no. 10 (2004): 1064–70. {{JSTOR|4414737}}.<br>—Chhibber, Pradeep K. “State Policy, Party Politics, and the Rise of the BJP.” In Democracy without Associations: Transformation of the Party System and Social Cleavages in India, 159–76. [[University of Michigan Press]], 1999. {{jstor|10.3998/mpub.23136.12}}.</ref><br/>[[Hindutva]]<ref name="Angana.p">—{{cite book |last1=Chatterji |first1=Angana P. |last2=Hansen |first2=Thomas Blom |last3= Jaffrelot|first3=Christophe |date=2019 |title=Majoritarian State: How Hindu Nationalism Is Changing India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zcObDwAAQBAJ&q=BJP%27s+Hindutva+ideology |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=100–130 |isbn=978-0-19-007817-1 |author-link1=Angana P. Chatterji |author-link2=Thomas Blom Hansen |author-link3=Christophe Jaffrelot }}<br>—[[Christophe Jaffrelot|Jaffrelot, Christophe]], and Cynthia Schoch. “Conclusion to Part I.” In Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy, 148–54. [[Princeton University Press]], 2021. {{doi|10.2307/j.ctv1dc9jzx.12}}.<br/>—{{cite book|title=Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India|author=Chhibber, Pradeep K. and Verma, Rahul|isbn=978-0-190-62390-6|lccn=2018001733|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJRqDwAAQBAJ|year=2018|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] }}</ref><br />[[Integral humanism (India)|Integral humanism]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Matthew |last2=Garnett |first2= Mark | last3=Walker |first3= David M |date=2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=smxQDwAAQBAJ&q=BJP+a+conservatism |title=Conservatism and Ideology  |publisher=[[Routledge]] |pages=45–50 |isbn=978-1-317-52900-2 }}</ref><br />[[Conservatism]]<ref name="mathewjoh">—{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Matthew |last2=Garnett |first2= Mark | last3=Walker |first3= David M |date=2017

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=smxQDwAAQBAJ&q=BJP+a+conservatism |title=Conservatism and Ideology  |publisher=[[Routledge]] |pages=45–50 |isbn=978-1-317-52900-2 }}<br />—Björn Goldstein (2015) The unconscious Indianization of ‘Western’ conservatism – is Indian conservatism a universal model?, Global Discourse, 5:1, 44-65, {{doi|10.1080/23269995.2014.946315}}<br />—{{cite journal |last1=Mazumdar |first1=Surajit |date= 2017|title=Neo-Liberalism and the Rise of Right-Wing Conservatism in India |url= https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/id/eprint/93182 |publisher=[[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]] |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages= 115–131 |doi= |access-date=24 April 2022}}<br/>—{{cite book|title=Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India|author=Chhibber, Pradeep. K. and Verma, Rahul|isbn=978-0-190-62390-6|lccn=2018001733|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJRqDwAAQBAJ|pages=50–150|year=2018|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] }}</ref><br />[[Neoliberalism]]<ref name ="Surajit 2017">—{{Cite book|last=Mazumdar|first=Surajit|title=Neo-Liberalism and the Rise of Right-Wing Conservatism in India|publisher=University Library of Munich|year=2017|location=Germany}}<br />—{{cite journal |last1=Gopalakrishnan |first1=Shankar |title=Defining, Constructing and Policing a 'New India': Relationship between Neoliberalism and Hindutva |journal=Economic & Political Weekly |date=7 July 2006 |volume=41 |issue=26 |pages=2803–2813 |jstor=4418408 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4418408 |access-date=26 September 2020}}<br />—{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=Kalpana |last2=Ung Loh |first2=Jennifer |last3=Purewal |first3=Navtej |title=Gender, Violence and the Neoliberal State in India |journal=Feminist Review |date=July 2018 |volume=119 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1057/s41305-018-0109-8|s2cid=149814002 |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/25540/1/wilson-ung-loh-purewal-introduction-gender-violence-and-the-neoliberal-state-in-India.doc.pdf }}<br />—{{cite journal |last1=Mathur |first1=Navdeep |title=The low politics of higher education: saffron branded neoliberalism and the assault on Indian universities |journal=Critical Policy Studies |date=2018 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=121–125 |doi=10.1080/19460171.2017.1403343|s2cid=148842457 }}</ref><br />[[Right-wing populism]]<ref>—{{cite journal|volume=26|issue=3|journal=Democratization|first1=Duncan|last1=McDonnell|year=2019|first2=Luis|last2=Cabrera|title=The right-wing populism of India's Bharatiya Janata Party (and why comparativists should care)|pages=484–501|doi=10.1080/13510347.2018.1551885|s2cid=149464986}}<br />—{{cite book|publisher=Koç University|title=Right-wing Populist Governments Rhetorical Framing of Economic Inequality : the Cases of BJP in India and AKP in Turkey|year=2019|first=Ezgi|last=Özçelik}}</ref>}}

| position          = <!-- Please do not change this without discussing on the talk page. Such changes will be removed -->[[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]]{{sfnm|1a1=Malik|1a2=Singh|1y=1992|1pp=318–336|BBC|2012|2a1=Banerjee|2y=2005|2p=3118}}<!-- Please do not change this without discussing on the talk page. Such changes will be removed -->  

| membership        = {{nowrap|{{increase}}180 million (2019)}}<ref>—{{cite news|url =https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/bjp-to-add-7-cr-new-members-totalling-18-cr-nadda-119082900946_1.html|title =BJP's strength to rise by 70 million, totalling 180 million: J P Nadda |date =  January 14, 2020 |access-date =  29 September 2021 |work= [[Business Standard]] }}<br />—{{cite news|url =https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bjp-to-add-7-crore-new-members-j-p-nadda/articleshow/70894220.cms |title = BJP to add 7 crore new members: J P Nadda |date = 29 August 2019|access-date = 29 August 2019 |work = [[The Times of India]]}}</ref>  

| students          = [[Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad]]<br />(unofficial)<ref>{{cite web|title = Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad is not the students' wing of BJP: Shreehari Borikar|url=https://www.abvp.org/akhil-bhartiya-vidyarthi-parishad-not-students-wing-bjp-shreehari-borikar}}</ref>

| international    = [[International Democrat Union]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/indias-bharatiya-janata-party-joins-union-of-international-conservative-parties|title=India's Bharatiya Janata Party Joins Union of International Conservative Parties&nbsp;— The Diplomat|first=Akhilesh|last=Pillalamarri|work=The Diplomat|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228053454/https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/indias-bharatiya-janata-party-joins-union-of-international-conservative-parties/|archive-date=28 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Members|url = https://www.idu.org/members/|publisher = [[International Democrat Union]]|access-date = 25 September 2019|website = idu.org}}</ref><br />[[Asia Pacific Democrat Union]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://idu.org/asia-pacific-democrat-union-apdu/|title=International Democrat Union » Asia Pacific Democrat Union (APDU)|work=International Democrat Union|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616235358/http://idu.org/asia-pacific-democrat-union-apdu/|archive-date=16 June 2017|access-date=12 June 2017}}</ref>

| symbol = Lotus<br />[[File:Lotos flower symbol.svg|100px]]

|leader=|Political position=[[Right-wing politics|Right wing]]<ref

name="bjp0right" /> to [[Far-right politics|far-right]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Facebook accused of boosting far-right BJP in Indian elections

|work=People’s World |date=17 March 2022}}</ref>|peasants=[[Bharatiya Kisan Sangh]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Gupta|first=Sejuta Das|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQiKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA172|pages=172–173|title= Class, Politics, and Agricultural Policies in Post-liberalisation India|isbn=978-1-108-41628-3|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2019e}}</ref>|merger=}}

The '''Bharatiya Janata Party''' ({{IPA-hns|bʱaːɾət̪iːjə dʒənət̪aː paːrtiː|pron|Hindi-Bharatiya Janata Party.ogg|pronunciation}}; {{lit|Indian People's Party}}; {{small|abbr.}} '''BJP''') is one of two major [[List of political parties in India|political parties in India]], along with the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/-In-Numbers-The-Rise-of-BJP-and-decline-of-Congress/articleshow/52341190.cms|title=In Numbers: The Rise of BJP and decline of Congress|work=The Times of India|date=19 May 2016|access-date=29 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105170102/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/-In-Numbers-The-Rise-of-BJP-and-decline-of-Congress/articleshow/52341190.cms|archive-date=5 November 2017}}</ref> It has been the [[List of ruling political parties by country|ruling political party]] of the [[India|Republic of India]] since 2014 under its [[Prime Minister of India|prime minister]], [[Narendra Modi]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news|date=25 May 2019|title=Lok Sabha Election results 2019: EC declares results of all 542 seats, BJP wins 303|work=Zee News|url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/live-updates/lok-sabha-election-results-2019-live-updates-bjp-narendra-modi-nda-2205806|access-date=30 March 2020}}</ref> The BJP is a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] party, and its policy has historically reflected [[Hindutva|Hindu nationalist]] positions.{{sfn|Banerjee|2005|p=3118}}{{sfn|Malik|Singh|1992|p=318}} It has close ideological and organisational links to the much older [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS).<ref>{{cite news|date=17 March 2019|title=Men, machinery and mind of RSS behind BJP's poll power punch|work=Business Standard|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/men-machinery-and-mind-of-rss-behind-bjp-s-poll-power-punch-119031700304_1.html|access-date=18 March 2020}}</ref> {{As of|2022|2|17}}, it is the country's largest political party in terms of representation in the [[Parliament of India|national parliament]] and [[State Legislature (India)|state legislatures]].

The BJP's origin lies in the [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]], formed in 1951 by [[Syama Prasad Mukherjee|Shyama Prasad Mukherjee]].{{sfn|Swain|2001|p=60}} After the [[The Emergency (India)|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 Indian general election|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 Indian general election|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, under its then leader [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] lasted only 13 days.{{sfn|Guha|2007|p=633}}

After the [[1998 Indian general election|1998 general election]], the BJP-led coalition known as the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA) under Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] formed a government that lasted 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 Indian general election|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 Indian general election|2014 general election]]. Since that election, Modi has led the NDA government as Prime Minister and {{As of|2022|4|lc=y}}, the alliance governs 18 states.

The official ideology of the BJP is [[Integral humanism (India)|integral humanism]], first formulated by [[Deendayal Upadhyaya]] in 1965. The party expresses a commitment to [[Hindutva]], and its policy has historically reflected [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu nationalist]] positions. The BJP advocates [[social conservatism]] and a foreign policy centred on nationalist principles. Its key issues have included the abrogation of the [[Article 370|special status to Jammu and Kashmir]], the building of a [[Ram Temple, Ayodhya|Ram Temple]] in [[Ayodhya]] and the implementation of a [[Uniform Civil code|uniform civil code]]. The 1998–2004 NDA government did not pursue any of these controversial issues, focusing instead on a largely [[economic liberalism|liberal]] economic policy prioritising [[globalisation]] and [[economic growth]] over social [[welfare]].{{sfn|Sen|2005|pp=251–272}} Two of these policies have been implemented since 2014. On 5 August 2019, the newly re-elected BJP government revoked the special status of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and on 9 November 2019, the Supreme Court of India passed the final verdict in the [[Ayodhya dispute|Ayodhya dispute case]] handing over the disputed land to a Trust to build the ''Ram Mandir''.<ref name="britannica-jammu-kashmir" /><ref name="Jan·OsmanczykOsmańczyk2003" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=9 November 2019|title=Ram Mandir verdict: Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case: Highlights |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ayodhya-babri-masjid-ram-mandir-case-verdict-highlights-supreme-court-declared-verdict-on-ram-janmabhoomi-case/articleshow/71978918.cms |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> A report by the [[V-Dem Institute]] described India as experiencing [[democratic backsliding]] during the [[Premiership of Narendra Modi|Modi-led BJP's rule]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/b6/55/b6553f85-5c5d-45ec-be63-a48a2abe3f62/briefing_paper_9.pdf|last1=Hindle|first1=Garry|last2=Lindberg|first2=Staffan|publisher=V-Dem Institute|date=2020|title=New Global Data on Political Parties: V-Party|access-date=9 October 2021|archive-date=24 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024234004/https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/b6/55/b6553f85-5c5d-45ec-be63-a48a2abe3f62/briefing_paper_9.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Nazifa Alizada, Rowan Cole, Lisa Gastaldi, Sandra Grahn, Sebastian Hellmeier, Palina Kolvani, Jean Lachapelle, Anna Lührmann, Seraphine F. Maerz, Shreeya Pillai, and Staffan I. Lindberg. 2021. Autocratization Turns Viral. Democracy Report 2021. University of Gothenburg: V-Dem Institute. https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/74/8c/748c68ad-f224-4cd7-87f9-8794add5c60f/dr_2021_updated.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914030243/https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/74/8c/748c68ad-f224-4cd7-87f9-8794add5c60f/dr_2021_updated.pdf |date=14 September 2021 }}</ref>

| image2    = Atal Bihari Vajpayee tribute image (cropped).jpg

In September 1990, Advani began a ''[[rath yatra]]'' (chariot journey) to Ayodhya in support of the Ram temple movement. According to Guha, the imagery employed by the ''yatra'' was "religious, allusive, militant, masculine, and anti-Muslim", and the speeches delivered by Advani during the ''yatra'' accused the government of appeasing Muslims and practising "[[pseudo-secularism]]" that obstructed the legitimate aspirations of Hindus.{{sfn|Guha|2007|p=635}} Advani defended the yatra, stating that it had been free of the incident from [[Somnath]] to [[Ayodhya]], and that the English media were to blame for the violence that followed.{{sfn|Reddy|2008}} Advani was placed under preventive detention on the orders of the then [[Bihar]] chief minister [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]]. A large number of ''[[kar sevak]]s'' (religious volunteers) nonetheless converged at Ayodhya. On the orders of [[Uttar Pradesh]] chief minister [[Mulayam Singh Yadav]], 150,000 of them were detained, yet half as many managed to reach Ayodhya and some attacked the mosque. Three days of fighting with the paramilitary forces ended with the deaths of several ''kar sevaks''. Hindus were urged by VHP to "take revenge" for these deaths, resulting in riots against Muslims across Uttar Pradesh. {{sfn|Guha|2007|p=636}} The BJP withdrew its support from the V.P. Singh government, leading to fresh general elections. It once again increased its tally, to 120 seats, and won a majority in the [[Uttar Pradesh]] assembly.{{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=633–659}}

A [[Liberhan Commission|2009 report]], authored by Justice [[Manmohan Singh Liberhan]], found that 68 people were responsible for the demolition, mostly leaders from the BJP.{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2009}} Among those named were Vajpayee, Advani, and [[Murli Manohar Joshi]]. The report also criticised [[Kalyan Singh]], Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the demolition.{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2009}} He was accused of posting bureaucrats and police officers who would stay silent during the demolition.{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2009}} Anju Gupta, an [[Indian Police Service]] officer in charge of Advani's security, appeared as a prominent witness before the commission. She said that Advani and Joshi made provocative speeches that were a major factor in the mob's behaviour.{{sfn|Venkatesan|2005}} However in a Judgement on 30 September 2020,the [[Supreme Court of India]] acquitted all of the accused in the demolition including Advani and Joshi.<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 September 2020|title=All acquitted in Babri Masjid demolition case {{!}} Advani, MM Joshi hail verdict, Congress wants govt to appeal against it|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ayodhya-babri-masjid-demolition-case-verdict/article32728552.ece|access-date=12 April 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

[[File:Official Photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Potrait.png|thumb|right|245x245px|[[Narendra Modi]] became the [[Prime Minister of India]], following the [[2014 Indian general election]].]]

Later in 2019, the [[Second Modi ministry|Modi government]] introduced the [[Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019]], which was passed by the [[Parliament of India]] on 11 December 2019. It amended the [[Indian nationality law|Citizenship Act, 1955]] by providing a path to Indian citizenship for illegal immigrant of [[Hindus|Hindu]], [[Sikhs|Sikh]], [[Buddhist]], [[Jain]], [[Parsis|Parsi]], and [[Christians|Christian]] religious minorities, who had [[Religious discrimination in Pakistan|fled persecution]] from [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]] and [[Afghanistan]] before December 2014.<ref name="BBC explained">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-50670393 Citizenship Amendment Bill: India's new 'anti-Muslim' law explained], BBC News, 11 December 2019.</ref><ref name="PIBPassesBill">{{Cite web |url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195783 |title=Parliament passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 |website=pib.gov.in |access-date=18 December 2019}}</ref> [[Muslim]]s from those countries were not given such eligibility.<ref name="Washington Post" /> The act was the first time religion had been overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under [[Indian law]].<ref name="Washington Post">{{cite news |last1=Slater |first1=Joanna |title=Why protests are erupting over India's new citizenship law |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/why-indias-citizenship-law-is-so-contentious/2019/12/17/35d75996-2042-11ea-b034-de7dc2b5199b_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=18 December 2019 |access-date=18 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218215158/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/why-indias-citizenship-law-is-so-contentious/2019/12/17/35d75996-2042-11ea-b034-de7dc2b5199b_story.html |archive-date=18 December 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|{{harvp|Sharma|2019|p=523}}: "First, citizenship status biased towards religious identity is by no means a new idea.... A careful study of the policies and laws related to citizenship, adopted since independence substantiate the assertion that citizenship in India has always been based on an implicit belief that India is for Hindus."}}{{efn|{{harvp|Sen|2018|pp=10–11}}: "Nehru’s response [to Patel's warning] made it clear that Muslim migrants from Pakistan could not join the ranks of refugees in India... Thus, despite broad public statements promising citizenship to all displaced persons from Pakistan, Hindu migrants alone counted as citizen-refugees in post-partition India."}}{{efn|{{harvp|Jayal|2019|pp=34–35}}: "While some elements of religious difference had... been covertly smuggled in earlier, this bill seeks to do so overtly."}} A report by the [[V-Dem Institute]] described India as experiencing [[democratic backsliding]] during the [[Premiership of Narendra Modi|Modi-led BJP's rule]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/b6/55/b6553f85-5c5d-45ec-be63-a48a2abe3f62/briefing_paper_9.pdf|last1=Hindle|first1=Garry|last2=Lindberg|first2=Staffan|publisher=V-Dem Institute|date=2020|title=New Global Data on Political Parties: V-Party|access-date=9 October 2021|archive-date=24 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024234004/https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/b6/55/b6553f85-5c5d-45ec-be63-a48a2abe3f62/briefing_paper_9.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Nazifa Alizada, Rowan Cole, Lisa Gastaldi, Sandra Grahn, Sebastian Hellmeier, Palina Kolvani, Jean Lachapelle, Anna Lührmann, Seraphine F. Maerz, Shreeya Pillai, and Staffan I. Lindberg. 2021. Autocratization Turns Viral. Democracy Report 2021. University of Gothenburg: V-Dem Institute. https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/74/8c/748c68ad-f224-4cd7-87f9-8794add5c60f/dr_2021_updated.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914030243/https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/74/8c/748c68ad-f224-4cd7-87f9-8794add5c60f/dr_2021_updated.pdf |date=14 September 2021 }}</ref>

The BJP opposes [[Illegal immigration in India|illegal immigration into India]] from [[Bangladesh]].{{sfn|Gillan|2002|pp=73–95}} The party states that this migration, mostly in the states of Assam and West Bengal, threatens the security, economy and stability of the country.{{sfn|Gillan|2002|pp=73–95}} Academics have pointed out that the BJP refers to Hindu migrants from Bangladesh as refugees, and reserves the term "illegal" for Muslim migrants.{{sfn|Gillan|2002|pp=73–95}} Academic Michael Gillan perceived it as an attempt to use an emotive issue to mobilise Hindu sentiment in a region where the party has not been historically successful.{{sfn|Gillan|2002|pp=73–95}}{{sfn|Ramachandran|2003}} The party later became the party of government in Assam.<ref>{{Cite web|date=17 March 2021|title=Assam's fascinating politics & how RSS took BJP to the top in a state where it didn't exist|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/assams-fascinating-politics-how-rss-took-bjp-to-the-top-in-a-state-where-it-didnt-exist/623280/|access-date=5 May 2021|website=[[ThePrint]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2013, the [[Supreme Court of India]] reinstated the controversial [[Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code]], which, among other things, criminalises homosexuality. There was a popular outcry, although clerics, including Muslim religious leaders, stated that they supported the verdict.{{sfn|Times of India|2013}}{{sfn|Buncombe|2014}} BJP president [[Rajnath Singh]] said that the party supported Section 377, because it believed that homosexuality was unnatural,{{sfn|Ramaseshan|2013}} though the party softened the stance after its victory in the 2014 general elections.{{sfn|Business Standard|2014}} Senior party members including [[Arun Jaitley]] and [[Harsh Vardhan (Delhi politician)|Harsh Vardhan]] openly support the rights of gender and sexual minorities in India. [[Vanathi Srinivasan]], a BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, launched the first book on LGBTQIA and [[Genderqueer]] in Tamil penned by [[Gopi Shankar Madurai]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenewsminute.com/news_sections/646 |title=Meet the BJP leader who released a book on LGBT rights |publisher=The News Minute |date=14 July 2014 |access-date=30 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031001843/http://www.thenewsminute.com/news_sections/646 |archive-date=31 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Its-a-great-honour-to-be-awarded-for-book-on-gender-variants-Gopi-Shankar/articleshow/38769130.cms |title=It's a great honour to be awarded for book on gender variants: Gopi Shankar |publisher=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |date=21 July 2014|access-date=30 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107191641/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Its-a-great-honour-to-be-awarded-for-book-on-gender-variants-Gopi-Shankar/articleshow/38769130.cms |archive-date=7 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Ashok Row Kavi |url=http://www.firstpost.com/living/rss-flip-flop-on-homosexuality-indicates-gay-men-in-india-remain-in-exile-writes-ashok-row-kavi-2685296.html |title=RSS flip-flop on homosexuality indicates gay men in India remain in exile, writes Ashok Row Kavi |publisher=Firstpost.com |date=19 March 2016 |access-date=30 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328022914/http://www.firstpost.com/living/rss-flip-flop-on-homosexuality-indicates-gay-men-in-india-remain-in-exile-writes-ashok-row-kavi-2685296.html |archive-date=28 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/news/india/BJP-leader-launches-LGBT-rights-book-in-TN/articleshow/38157614.cms|title=BJP leader launches LGBT rights book in TN|work=Mumbai Mirror|access-date=23 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211022/http://www.mumbaimirror.com/news/india/BJP-leader-launches-LGBT-rights-book-in-TN/articleshow/38157614.cms|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> However, other leading party figures, such as [[Subramanian Swamy]], were strongly critical of the decision by the Supreme Court to strike down Section 377 in ''[[Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India]]''.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[News18 India]]|title='It Will Give Rise to HIV Cases': Subramanian Swamy Frowns at SC Verdict on Section 377|date=6 September 2018|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/it-will-give-rise-to-hiv-cases-gay-bars-bjps-subramanian-swamy-frowns-at-sc-verdict-on-sec-377-1869533.html}}</ref>

{{Further|List of presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party|National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party}}

[[File:Structure of BJP 2020 March.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|A diagram of the [[Organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party|Structure of the Bharatiya Janata Party]]]]

! style="background-color:#FF9933; color:white" | Percentage<br />of votes

|<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kumar|first=Sanjay|date=28 May 2019|title=BJP: Here's how BJP earned the massive mandate: Explained in numbers|work=[[The Economic Times]]|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/heres-how-bjp-earned-massive-mandate-explained-in-numbers/articleshow/69529857.cms|url-status=live|access-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203005824/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/heres-how-bjp-earned-massive-mandate-explained-in-numbers/articleshow/69529857.cms|archive-date=3 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=20. Performance of National Parties|url=https://eci.gov.in/files/file/10955-20-performance-of-national-parties/|access-date=21 December 2020|website=Election Commission of India}}</ref>

{{as of|2021|07}}, 12 states have [[Chief minister (India)|Chief Ministers]] from the BJP, and governments led by that party, sometimes including allied parties. The 12 states are [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Assam]] (with [[Asom Gana Parishad]] and [[United People's Party Liberal]]), [[Goa]], [[Gujarat]], [[Haryana]] (with [[Jannayak Janta Party]]), [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Manipur]] (with [[Naga People's Front]], [[National People's Party (India)|National People's Party]] and [[Lok Janshakti Party]]), [[Tripura]] (with [[Indigenous People's Front of Tripura]]), [[Uttar Pradesh]] (with [[Apna Dal (Sonelal)]]) and [[Uttarakhand]].

The BJP has previously held power in [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Delhi]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Maharashtra]] (with the [[Shiv Sena]]) and [[Jharkhand]], and has been the junior coalition partner in governments in [[Andhra Pradesh]] (with the [[Telugu Desam Party]]), [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] (with the [[Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party]]), [[Odisha]] (with the [[Biju Janata Dal]]), [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] (with the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]]), and [[Tamil Nadu]] (with the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]). It has never held power in [[Kerala]], [[Telangana]], and [[West Bengal]].

=== Current seats in State Legislative Assemblies ===

[[Assam Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|63|126|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Goa Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|20|40|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Manipur Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|32|60|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Punjab Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|2|117|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Telangana Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|3|119|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Tripura Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|33|60|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|255|403|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly]]{{Composition bar|47|70|hex=#FF9933}}

=== Current seats in State Legislative councils ===

[[Bihar Legislative Council]]{{Composition bar|22|75|hex=#FF9933}}

[[Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council]]{{Composition bar|45|100|hex=#FF9933}}|headerstyle=background:#ccccff|style=text-align:center;|background=Cornsilk}}

| rowspan="3" |[[File:Atal Bihari Vajpayee tribute image (cropped).jpg|100px]]

| rowspan="2" |[[File:Official Photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Potrait.png|100px]]

|BJP (63)

|Rowspan=3| 3.

|Rowspan=3|[[Goa Legislative Assembly|Goa]]

|Rowspan=3|[[Pramod Sawant]]

|Rowspan=3|[[File:The Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Pramod Sawant.jpg|80px|border]]

|Rowspan=3|[[Second Pramod Sawant Ministry|Sawant II]]

|BJP (20)

|[[Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party|MGP]] (2)

|[[Independent politician|IND]] (3)

|BJP (111)

|BJP (127)

|[[Independent politician|IND]] (4)

|Rowspan=5| 9.

|Rowspan=5|[[Manipur Legislative Assembly|Manipur]]

|Rowspan=5|[[N. Biren Singh]]

|Rowspan=5|[[File:N. Biren Singh.jpg|80px|border]]

|Rowspan=5|[[Second Biren Singh ministry|Singh II]]

|BJP (32)

|bgcolor=##003366|

|[[Janata Dal (United)|JD(U)]] (6)

|[[Naga People's Front|NPF]] (5)

|[[Kuki People's Alliance|KPA]] (2)

|[[Independent politician|IND]] (2)

|BJP (33)

|[[Indigenous People's Front of Tripura|IPFT]] (7)

|Rowspan=3| 11.

|Rowspan=3|[[Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly|Uttar Pradesh]]

|Rowspan=3|[[Yogi Adityanath]]

|Rowspan=3|[[File:The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Shri Yogi Adityanath meeting the President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on February 10, 2018 (cropped).jpg|112x112px|border]]

|Rowspan=3|[[Second Yogi Adityanath ministry|Adityanath II]]

|BJP (255)

|[[Apna Dal (Sonelal)|AD(S)]] (12)

|bgcolor=#B80000|

|[[NISHAD Party|NP]] (6)

|Rowspan=2| [[File:Pushkar Singh Dhami.jpg|80px]]

|Rowspan=2| [[Second Dhami ministry|Dhami II]]

|BJP (47)

* {{cite journal |last1 = Banerjee |first1 = Sumanta |title = Civilising the BJP |journal = Economic & Political Weekly |date = 22 July 2005 |volume = 40 |issue = 29 |pages = 3116–3119 |jstor = 4416896 }}

* {{cite book |title = The Production of Hindu-Muslim Violence in Contemporary India |last = Brass |first = Paul R. |publisher = University of Washington Press |year = 2005 |isbn = 978-0-295-98506-0 |pages = 385–393}}

* {{cite web | url = http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140520/nation-current-affairs/article/will-narendra-modi-stake-claim-form-government-today | title = Narendra Modi to be sworn in as 15th Prime Minister of India on May 26 | work = [[Deccan Chronicle]] | date = 20 May 2014 | access-date = 26 May 2014 | ref = {{harvid |Deccan Chronicle |2014}} }}

* {{cite journal |last1 = Ganguly |first1 = Sumit |s2cid = 57565560 |title = India's Pathway to Pokhran II: The Prospects and Sources of New Delhi's Nuclear Weapons Program |journal = International Security |date =Spring 1999 |volume = 23 |issue = 4 |pages = 148–177 |jstor = 2539297 |doi = 10.1162/isec.23.4.148}}

* {{cite book |last1 = Guha |first1 = Ramachandra |author-link = Ramachandra Guha |title = India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy |date = 2007 |publisher = Picador |location = India |isbn = 978-0-330-39610-3 |edition = 1st|title-link = India after Gandhi }}

* {{cite news |first = Samar |last = Halarnkar |title = Narendra Modi makes his move |work = BBC News |date = 13 June 2012 |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18352532 |quote = The right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's primary opposition party |ref = {{harvid |BBC |2012}} }}

* {{cite book |last = Jaffrelot |first = Christophe |author-link = Christophe Jaffrelot |title = The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics |publisher = C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |year = 1996 |isbn = 978-1-85065-301-1 }}

* {{cite web |url = http://www.ndtv.com/article/cheat-sheet/naroda-patiya-riots-former-minister-maya-kodnani-gets-18-years-in-jail-261251 |title = Naroda Patiya riots: Former minister Maya Kodnani gets 28 years in jail |publisher = NDTV.com |access-date = 17 November 2012 |ref = {{harvid |NDTV.com |2012}} |archive-date = 26 December 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181226045146/https://www.ndtv.com/cheat-sheet/naroda-patiya-riots-former-minister-maya-kodnani-gets-28-years-in-jail-498222 |url-status = dead }}

* {{cite journal |first = A. G. |last = Noorani |title = Foreign Policy of the Janata Party Government |journal = Asian Affairs |volume = 5 |date = March–April 1978 |pages = 216–228 |jstor = 30171643 |issue = 4 |doi = 10.1080/00927678.1978.10554044}}

* {{cite web |url = http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/research/kargil/JA00199.pdf |title = An Analysis of the Kargil Conflict 1999 |date = April 2002 |last = Qadir |first = Shaukat |work = RUSI Journal |access-date = 20 May 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090327120655/http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/research/kargil/JA00199.pdf |archive-date = 27 March 2009 }}

* {{cite web |url = http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/mar/28bjp.htm |title = TDP helps Vajpayee wins confidence vote |work = Rediff.com |access-date = 4 January 2011 |ref = {{harvid |rediff.com |1998}} }}

* {{cite web |url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Election-results-2014-India-places-its-faith-in-Moditva/articleshow/35224486.cms |title = Election results 2014: India places its faith in Moditva |publisher = Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |date = 17 May 2014 |access-date = 11 August 2014 |ref = {{harvid |Times of India |2014}} }}

* {{cite news |url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-07-13/mumbai/27289812_1_vaiko-pota-prevention-of-terrorism-act |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120916205038/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-07-13/mumbai/27289812_1_vaiko-pota-prevention-of-terrorism-act  |url-status = dead |archive-date = 16 September 2012 |title = SP condemns Vaiko's arrest under Pota |date = 13 July 2002 |work = [[The Times of India]] |ref = {{harvid |Times of India |2002}} }}

* {{cite journal |last1 = Venkatesan |first1 = V. |title = In the dock, again |journal = Frontline |date = 29 July 2005 |volume = 22 |issue = 15 |url = http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2215/stories/20050729006101200.htm |access-date = 28 June 2014 }}

{{refend}}  

* {{cite book |first1=Walter K. |last1=Andersen |author-link=Walter K. Andersen |first2=Shridhar D. |last2=Damle |title=The Brotherhood in Saffron: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism |url=https://archive.org/details/brotherhoodinsaf0000ande |url-access=registration |orig-year=Originally published by Westview Press |publisher=Vistaar Publications |location=Delhi |year=1987 |ref=none }}

* {{cite book |first=Craig |last=Baxter |author-link=Craig Baxter |title=The Jana Sangh&nbsp;— A Biography of an Indian Political Party |publisher=Oxford University Press, Bombay |year=1971 |orig-year=first published by [[University of Pennsylvania Press]] 1969 |isbn=978-0-8122-7583-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/janasanghbiograp0000baxt |ref=none }}

* {{cite journal|last=Ganguly|first=Sumit|title=Hindu nationalism and the foreign policy of India's Bharatiya Janata Party|journal=Transatlantic Academy Paper Series|volume=2|date=2015|pages=1–15|url=https://www.gmfus.org/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/Ganguly_HinduNationalismForeignPolicy_Jun15_web.pdf|isbn=978-1-5292-0460-5|access-date=11 January 2021|archive-date=4 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304071320/https://www.gmfus.org/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/Ganguly_HinduNationalismForeignPolicy_Jun15_web.pdf|url-status=dead}}

* {{cite journal|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|title=Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk?|journal=Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics|date=July 2003|page=16|url=http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/4127/1/hpsacp17.pdf|access-date=5 November 2013|ref=none}}

* {{Official website|https://www.bjp.org/}}

{{National Democratic Alliance}}