From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
president of the Bharatiya Janata Party
is the chief executive authority of the
BJP
, and fills a number of roles, including chairing meetings of the
National Executive
of the party and appointing the presidents of party subsidiaries, such its
youth wing
and farmer's wing.
Any candidate for the presidency needs to have been a member of the party for at least 15 years.
[2]
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.
The term of the president is three years long, and individuals may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
[2]
The president usually does not also hold a post within a government, and party chiefs have resigned the position to assume posts in Cabinet.
[3]
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.
[4]
[5]
As of 2022, 11 people have served as the president of the BJP, including
Rajnath Singh
and
Amit Shah
who have also served two terms.
J. P. Nadda
is the most recent president, having been appointed in January 2020.
[6]
List of party presidents
[
edit
]
S. No.
|
Term
|
Portrait
|
Name
|
State
|
References
|
1
|
1980?1986
|
|
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
[4]
[7]
[8]
|
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
BJS
. 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.
|
2
|
1986?1991
|
|
L. K. Advani
|
Gujarat
|
[4]
[7]
[11]
|
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.
|
3
|
1991?1993
|
|
Murli Manohar Joshi
|
Uttarakhand
|
[11]
[13]
[14]
[15]
|
BJP ideologue Joshi had been affiliated with the
RSS
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 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.
|
(2)
|
1993?1998
|
|
L. K. Advani
|
Gujarat
|
[11]
[15]
|
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
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
.
|
4
|
1998?2000
|
|
Kushabhau Thakre
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
[16]
[17]
[18]
|
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
NDA
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.
|
5
|
2000?2001
|
|
Bangaru Laxman
|
Telangana
|
[19]
[20]
|
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.
|
6
|
2001?2002
|
|
Jana Krishnamurthi
|
Tamil Nadu
|
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
|
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.
|
7
|
2002?2004
|
|
Venkaiah Naidu
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
[24]
[23]
|
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
NDA
lost the
2004 Indian general election
to the
UPA
led by the Indian National Congress.
|
(2)
|
2004?2005
|
|
L. K. Advani
|
Gujarat
|
[11]
[24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
|
Advani, then serving as the
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.
|
8
|
2005?2009
|
|
Rajnath Singh
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
[11]
[27]
[28]
[29]
[30]
|
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
youth wing
. He advocated a return to a
Hindutva
platform. Singh resigned after the NDA lost the
2009 Indian general election
|
9
|
2009?2013
|
|
Nitin Gadkari
|
Maharashtra
|
[11]
[30]
[31]
|
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.
|
(8)
|
2013?2014
|
|
Rajnath Singh
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
[11]
[30]
[32]
|
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.
|
10
|
2014?2020
|
|
Amit Shah
|
Gujarat
|
[33]
[3]
[34]
|
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 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.
|
11
|
2020?
|
|
J. P. Nadda
(Incumbent)
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
[35]
[6]
|
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
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Bharatiya Janata Party Constitution"
(PDF)
.
BJP official website
. Bharatiya Janata Party.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 18 November 2017
. Retrieved
30 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Rawat, Sanjay (9 July 2014).
"Amit Shah Appointed BJP President"
.
Outlook
.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
Varma, Gyan (7 April 2017).
"BJP Foundation Day: How the party has grown since 1980"
.
Mint
.
Archived
from the original on 13 June 2018
. Retrieved
13 June
2018
.
- ^
"Happy Birthday L K Advani: Facts about the longest serving BJP president"
.
India Today
. 8 November 2016.
Archived
from the original on 13 June 2018
. Retrieved
13 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"JP Nadda takes over as BJP president"
.
Mint
. 20 January 2020.
Archived
from the original on 21 January 2020
. Retrieved
20 January
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Chatterjee, Manini (1994). "The BJP: Political Mobilization for Hindutva".
South Asia Bulletin
.
14
(1).
- ^
"Nation's highest civilian honour for Atal Bihari Vajpayee"
.
Mint
. 25 December 2014.
Archived
from the original on 30 June 2018
. Retrieved
30 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"BJP Presidents from 1980 to 2013"
.
India Today
.
Archived
from the original on 14 June 2018
. Retrieved
17 July
2014
.
- ^
Muralidharan, Sukumar (7 November 1998).
"Taking Hindutva to school"
.
Frontline
.
Archived
from the original on 16 June 2014
. Retrieved
13 June
2018
.
- ^
"Presidential Election: Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj Among Probables"
.
News 18
. 26 February 2017.
Archived
from the original on 30 June 2018
. Retrieved
30 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Datta, Prabhash K. (21 March 2017).
"25 years after Babri demolition: Will Modi choose Advani as President?"
.
India Today
.
Archived
from the original on 1 July 2018
. Retrieved
1 July
2018
.
- ^
Bhaumik, Saba Naqvi (27 October 1997).
"Veteran leader Kushabhau Thakre emerges as front-runner for BJP president post"
.
India Today
.
Archived
from the original on 1 July 2018
. Retrieved
1 July
2018
.
- ^
"Kushabhau Thakre passes away"
.
The Times of India
. 28 December 2003.
Archived
from the original on 15 July 2018
. Retrieved
1 July
2018
.
- ^
"Kushabhau Thakre Passes Away"
.
The Financial Express
. 28 December 2003.
Archived
from the original on 1 July 2018
. Retrieved
1 July
2018
.
- ^
"Bangaru Laxman, ex-BJP president, dies in Hyderabad"
.
The Times of India
. 1 March 2014.
Archived
from the original on 5 March 2014
. Retrieved
13 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Vyas, Nina (14 March 2001).
"Jana Krishnamurthy acting BJP chief"
.
The Hindu
. Archived from
the original
on 15 July 2018
. Retrieved
1 July
2018
.
- ^
"Ex-BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy cremated in Chennai"
.
The Times of India
. 26 September 2007.
Archived
from the original on 14 June 2018
. Retrieved
13 June
2018
.
- ^
"Jana Krishnamurthi ratified BJP chief"
.
The Hindu
. 24 March 2001. Archived from
the original
on 15 July 2018
. Retrieved
1 July
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Ramaseshan, Radhika.
"A-Team Powers Back"
.
The Telegraph
. Archived from
the original
on 2 July 2018
. Retrieved
1 July
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Naidu's journey from pasting party posters to being Vice President"
. Rediff.com. 5 August 2017.
Archived
from the original on 14 October 2017
. Retrieved
13 June
2018
.
- ^
"Advani replaces Venkaiah Naidu as BJP chief"
. Rediff.com. 18 October 2018.
Archived
from the original on 4 August 2016
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
"No regrets over Jinnah statement: Advani"
.
The Times of India
. 6 January 2006.
Archived
from the original on 12 February 2017
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Vyas, Neena (1 January 2006).
"Advani resigns as BJP president"
.
The Hindu
.
Archived
from the original on 15 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
Ghatak, Lopamudra (23 December 2006).
"It's basic instinct for Rajnath Singh"
.
The Times of India
.
Archived
from the original on 15 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
"Who is Rajnath Singh?"
.
India Today
. 23 January 2013.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Rajnath Singh elected BJP president, vows to bring back party to power"
. India TV. 23 January 2013.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
"Nitin Gadkari: From swayamsevak to BJP chief"
.
The Hindu
. 19 December 2009.
Archived
from the original on 15 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
"Rajnath Singh ? from 'Physics lecturer' to 'Union Home Minister'
"
. India TV. 10 September 2014.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
"Amit Shah, Modi's close aide, takes charge as BJP president"
.
The Times of India
. 9 July 2014.
Archived
from the original on 13 July 2014
. Retrieved
13 June
2018
.
- ^
Hebbar, Nistula (24 January 2016).
"Amit Shah re-elected BJP president"
.
The Hindu
.
Archived
from the original on 15 July 2018
. Retrieved
2 July
2018
.
- ^
"JP Nadda Elected Unopposed As BJP Chief, Takes Over From Amit Shah"
.
NDTV
. 20 January 2020
. Retrieved
20 January
2020
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]