How the Bharatiya Janata Party became the world's largest political party by membership

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, has evolved from a minor parliamentary presence into a global political powerhouse. With over 140 million members as of 2025, it currently dominates Indian governance, championing a Hindu nationalist ideology known as Hindutva while reshaping the nation's political and social landscape through significant legislative shifts.

The BJP traces its roots to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, founded in 1951 by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee as the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). After the 1975–1977 Emergency, the Jana Sangh merged into the Janata Party, but internal friction regarding dual membership with the RSS led to a 1980 split. The former Jana Sangh members then formed the modern-day BJP. Initially, the party struggled, winning only two seats in the 1984 general election, which prompted a strategic pivot toward hardline Hindutva and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

The party's rise accelerated through the 1990s, culminating in the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who headed the first non-Congress government to complete a full term. However, the party's most transformative era began in 2014 under Narendra Modi. Achieving an outright majority in the 2014 and 2019 elections, the BJP centralized power and enacted core ideological priorities, including the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the criminalization of triple talaq. These actions, alongside the 2024 opening of the Ram Mandir, underscore the party's commitment to its nationalist agenda.

Today, the BJP is described by observers as shifting from right-wing toward far-right, with its influence extending across 20 Indian states and 2 union territories as of May 2026. While the party credits its success to effective mobilization and leadership, critics and research institutes like V-Dem point to nationwide democratic backsliding during its tenure. The party remains a polarizing force, balancing its religious undertones with a broad electoral strategy that has successfully expanded its base beyond its traditional upper-caste support to include Dalit and middle-class voters.

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